ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Elections: Local Government

Bob Spink: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance the Electoral Commission issues on the release of electoral packs to candidates at local elections and their agents.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it issues guidance to local government returning officers advising that packs containing nomination papers, an election timetable and guidance notes for prospective local election candidates should be prepared well before the start of the formal election period and supplied on request.
	The Commission has also published performance standards for returning officers in Great Britain. In order to meet performance standard seven, "Communication of information to candidates and agents", returning officers must ensure that candidates and election agents are offered briefing sessions and are issued with written guidance on the election process.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of claims for single farm payments made in 2008 have not yet been settled.

Jane Kennedy: The percentage of remaining claims expected to receive a payment under the 2008 Single Payment Scheme is 1.2 per cent.

Agriculture: Waste Disposal

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many proposals for anaerobic digestion plants have been licensed by each local authority in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: Prior to the implementation of the Environmental Permitting Regulations in 2007, waste disposal and waste recovery operations were regulated under separate legislation. Environment Agency records are therefore split between the two different information systems used. These systems are currently in the process of being integrated.
	Five anaerobic digestion plants have been permitted by the Environment Agency in the last five years under waste management licensing regulations.
	
		
			  Site name  Year permitted  Local authority (unitary or county) 
			 Biocycle South Shropshire, Ludlow 2006 Shropshire county council 
			 Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire Biogen 2006 Bedfordshire county council 
			 Norfolk Environmental Waste Services, Costessey Resource Recovery Park 2008 Norfolk county council/ South Norfolk district council 
			 Brookhurst Wood 2009 West Sussex county council 
			 Wanlip AD Plant 2009 Leicestershire county council 
		
	
	41 sites that utilise biogases derived from anaerobic digestion under the pollution prevention and control (PPC) regulations have been permitted across England within the last five years. Environment Agency records do not specify the local authority for PPC sites.
	
		
			   Primary name  County  Permit effective from date 
			 1 Minworth Sewage Treatment Works (STW) West Midlands 6 August 2008 
			 2 Runcorn Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) Cheshire 24 October 2007 
			 3 Kew Biothane Plant Surrey 19 August 2008 
			 4 Gatewarth Industrial Estate Cheshire 24 October 2007 
			 5 Liverpool (WWTW) Merseyside 24 October 2007 
			 6 The Causeway Greater Manchester 24 October 2007 
			 7 Ringley Road Greater Manchester 2 March 2009 
			 8 Coney Lane Merseyside 24 October 2007 
			 9 St. Helens (WWTW) Merseyside 24 October 2007 
			 10 Dukinfield (WWTW) Cheshire 14 November 2008 
			 11 Davyhulme WWTW Lancashire 26 February 2009 
			 12 Stockport (WWTW) Cheshire 24 October 2007 
			 13 Bury (WWTW) Lancashire 24 October 2007 
			 14 Tower Brewery North Yorkshire 8 November 2005 
			 15 Minworth (STW) West Midlands 4 October 2007 
			 16 Bunns Bank Norfolk 2 February 2004 
			 17 Millbrook (WWTW) Hampshire 17 October 2008 
			 18 Costessey Resource Recovery Park Norfolk 22 December 2008 
			 19 Rye Meads Combined Heat and Power Plant Hertfordshire 19 December 2006 
			 20 Maple Lodge (STW) Hertfordshire 29 March 2006 
			 21 Deephams (STW) Greater London 19 December 2006 
			 22 Bran Sands Cleveland 14 April 2005 
			 23 Bran Sands Cleveland 29 September 2006 
			 24 Thames House Berkshire 20 December 2006 
			 25 Oxford (STW) Oxfordshire 20 December 2006 
			 26 Reading (STW) Berkshire 19 December 2006 
			 27 Bristol Waste Water Treatment Avon 19 December 2006 
			 28 John Smith's Brewery North Yorkshire 12 March 2008 
			 29 Tower Brewery North Yorkshire 12 March 2008 
			 30 Ainsbury House West Yorkshire 26 November 2008 
			 31 Wanlip (STW) Leicestershire 31 March 2006 
			 32 Strongford (STW) Staffordshire 24 October 2007 
			 33 Crewe (WWTW) Cheshire 21 December 2006 
			 34 Stoke Bardolph (STW) Nottinghamshire 11 October 2007 
			 35 Mogden (STW) Middlesex 19 December 2006 
			 36 United Utilities Water plc, Blackburn (WWTW) Combined Heat and Power Installation Lancashire 17 March 2006 
			 37 Beddington (STW) Surrey 20 December 2006 
			 38 Ellesmere Port (WWTW) Cheshire 21 June 2007 
			 39 Budds Farm (WWTW) Hampshire 15 October 2008 
			 40 Finham (STW) West Midlands 3 October 2007 
			 41 Wanlip (STW) Leicestershire 21 March 2005

Animals: Imports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on the screening of imported wildlife for potential diseases in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Animals and animal products are imported from EU member states and from third countries approved as having equivalent animal health status to an EU member state for the species in question. Strict EU rules are imposed to prevent disease entering the European Community.
	As soon as an animal is captured and transported it becomes a 'kept animal' and therefore animal health import legislation applies. This includes ensuring a veterinary health check is undertaken within the 24-hour period prior to loading at the country of origin in order to determine that no clinical signs of disease are present—the cost is met by the importer. An animal cannot travel to this country unless accompanied by a valid veterinary health certificate. Live animals imported from approved third countries must enter at a designated Border Inspection Post (BIP) where they are again subject to veterinary inspections for clinical signs of disease and the accompanying health certificates are verified. However, Animal Health does not keep a record of the individual costs for imported animals tested as part of its disease prevention measures.
	When there is a significant increase in disease risk, DEFRA's Global Animal Health Division will act quickly to mitigate it, usually in concert with the EU. DEFRA may take unilateral safeguard measures to block legal imports from countries or regions with outbreaks of disease. Recent imports of animals which might present a risk would also be traced and checked.
	DEFRA also carries out international disease surveillance work and takes emergency safeguard action to restrict or ban imports from countries that have reported an outbreak of disease.

Biofuels

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to expand the categories of used cooking oil which may be classified as fuel under the proposed end-of-waste protocol.

Jane Kennedy: In October 2007, the Environment Agency issued for public consultation a draft end-of-waste protocol for "biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oil". Following consideration by the Agency of the responses to that consultation, the terms of the protocol were expanded to cover "the production and use of biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil and rendered animal fat". On this basis, a post-consultation draft of the protocol was notified to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC). The notification period required under the directive has now ended and the Agency proposes to publish the final protocol in the next few weeks, and to review the published protocol in June 2011. In the meantime, the Agency has no plans further to expand the categories of waste covered by the protocol.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to inoculate badgers in Devon against tuberculosis.

Jane Kennedy: On 19 March 2009 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the initial outline for a Badger Vaccine Deployment Project, which will see vaccination of badgers in six areas with high incidence of cattle TB in England. Each area will be up to 100 sq km.
	Plans for the areas have not yet been finalised. As potential areas emerge from our discussions with the farming industry, local engagement to encourage participation will be our highest priority.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Jane Kennedy: Euro Ministers are responsible for Euro preparations in their Department and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover.

Farming: Pigs

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned research on the effect in (i) England and (ii) elsewhere of intensive pig farming on developments in swine influenza.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA is currently funding research at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency looking at cross- species transmission of influenza viruses. This work has been ongoing for a number of years. While this research is not specifically focused on the effects of intensive farming, it seeks to give us a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in cross-species transmission and hence to better understand the risks.
	DEFRA funds a surveillance programme for swine influenza in England and Wales. This is delivered by Veterinary Laboratories Agency and has been in operation since 1991. Private veterinary practitioners can submit samples for swine influenza testing in cases where this disease is suspected. This testing is performed free of charge. Under this programme, samples are tested from pig herds from various types of production system. If virus is isolated from a sample, further genetic analysis is performed to determine if there is any evidence that the virus may be genetically different from commonly seen swine influenza viruses in the UK. In addition, a random subset of influenza viruses is subjected to further genetic analysis. The aim of the programme is to identify any unusual changes in swine influenza viruses and to monitor the natural evolution of the virus over time.

Farming: Pigs

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pig farms he has visited in his official capacity in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 1 June 2009
	 My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited two pig farms in the last 12 months.

Genetically Modified Organisms

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which genetically-modified products are authorised for sale in the UK.

Jane Kennedy: Decisions on the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) products are taken at European Union (EU) level. Currently there are 27 GM products that are authorised for food and animal feed uses in the EU. Full details are available on the European Commission website. Only one type of GM crop seed has EU approval for cultivation and is being sold in some EU member states. It is a type of insect-resistant maize known as MON 810, and it is not being marketed in the UK because it is unsuitable for our growing conditions.

Overseas Trade: Palestinians

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the outcome was of the meeting of 31 March 2009 on voluntary guidance on the labelling of food produce from the West Bank;
	(2)  when he expects to announce proposals on voluntary guidance on the labelling of food produce from the West Bank.

Jane Kennedy: Following the meeting on 31 March, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently working with other Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, HM Revenues and Customs, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Food Standards Agency to consider the clarity of labelling of produce from the West Bank.

Renewable Energy: Waste

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department has received from the business sector on the effect of the operation of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 on businesses involved in the manufacture of fuels from waste.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA officials have received correspondence from companies whose business involves the processing of waste to produce fuels about various issues arising from the Court of Appeal ruling in the case of OSS Group  v. Environment Agency. Officials at the Environment Agency have also held meetings with the companies concerned to discuss these issues.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance  (a) his Department,  (b) the Waste Improvement Network and  (c) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued on fixed penalty notices in relation to (i) closed lid policies, (ii) no side waste collection policies and (iii) putting household waste out at the wrong time.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has not provided any guidance on the use of fixed penalty notices other than what is available on its website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/legislation/cnea/fixed-penalty-guidance.pdf
	This does not refer to (i) closed lid policies, (ii) no side waste collection policies and (iii) putting household rubbish out at the wrong time.
	Neither the Waste Improvement Network (WIN) nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued any such guidance.

Zoos: EU Law

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) financial and  (b) other effects on zoos of EU regulations banning feeding of necrophagous birds with category 1 material; and if he will seek an opt-out from the regulations.

Jane Kennedy: No assessment of the financial and other effects on zoos of banning the feeding of necrophagous birds with category 1 material has been made. The EU Animal by-products regulation 1774/2002/EC only permits the feeding of category 1 material to endangered or protected species of necrophagous birds and other species living in their natural habitat, for the promotion of biodiversity. However, it does permit member states to authorise the feeding of animal by-products which do not contain specified risk material and other category 1 animal by-products to birds of prey and other carnivorous animals in zoos. The UK exercises this derogation.
	The European Council and Parliament are likely to shortly agree amendments to the regulation which, among other things, would allow member states to permit feeding of certain category 1 material to necrophagous birds and other carnivorous animals in zoos. The UK would be looking to take advantage of such a provision and understands that after the amended regulation is agreed, work will commence on laying down implementing rules in Brussels which would permit such feeding while ensuring protection of animal and public health.
	A derogation to permit the feeding of fallen stock to necrophagous birds is available to Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and France as part of approved conservation measures for vultures. This derogation is not available in the UK. We understand that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is content with the existing arrangement of the feeding of category 2 and 3 material (ie butchers' waste) to wild necrophagous birds and that a derogation to permit the use of ruminant fallen stock as feed material is not, therefore, necessary.

TRANSPORT

Airports: Security

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what standard security checks are operated at British airports for  (a) economy class passengers,  (b) business class passengers,  (c) first-class passengers,  (d) very important persons,  (e) Ministers,  (f) the Prime Minister,  (g) Ministers of foreign Governments,  (h) foreign heads of Governments and  (i) foreign heads of state.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is responsible for drafting UK aviation security regulations which are served on regulated airports within the UK in the form of Directions. The Department operates a multi-layered approach to security that is proportionate to and commensurate with the threat we are seeking to mitigate. The primary objective is to protect the travelling public and, in respect of searching individuals, to ensure that prohibited articles are not transported on to aircraft. Airports and airlines are responsible for implementing the security regulations and the Department operates a compliance regime that inspects and where necessary enforces the standards required.
	All passengers, including flight crew, staff, Ministers of the Government and Ministers of foreign Governments, regardless of class of travel, are subject to the following standard security procedures: identity check, access controls, security questions, 100 per cent. screening of hold and cabin baggage and 100 per cent. screening of the individual, where necessary enhanced via a hand search and additional technological enhancements.
	In line with international protocols, and the UK's international commitments in this respect, a relatively small number of individuals in recognised positions are exempt from these screening procedures. This is in part a reflection of the degree to which security, in various forms, accompanies such posts or individuals.
	You will appreciate that for obvious security reasons it is not possible for me to specifically detail the posts, incumbents and security measures that apply in these cases.
	I can assure you that TRANSEC and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) hold a 'Restricted'—'Closed' list of persons that are exempt, or may be deemed as an exempted person, for the purpose of aviation security screening and that this list is subject to periodical review.

Aviation: EU Law

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of Regulation (EC) 80/2009 on a code of conduct for computerised reservation systems on UK  (a) airlines and  (b) internet ticket booking companies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No assessment has been made of the likely effect on UK airlines or internet ticket booking companies of Regulation (EC) 80/2009 which entered into force on 29 March 2009 and which updated and replaced previous European Community legislation in this field dating from 1989.
	Regulation (EC) 80/2009 results from a Commission proposal to simplify and update the Code to safeguard its key principles while increasing its relevance to today's market conditions. The Commission conducted a public consultation and an impact assessment when it proposed the legislation in 2007.
	Regulation (EC) 80/2009 as adopted should enhance the ability of airlines and Computerised Reservation Systems (CRS) to negotiate competitive deals and bring reductions in booking costs or increased travel options which benefit the consumer. The Government considered that full deregulation was not yet appropriate and that safeguards should remain in place to guard against discriminatory behaviour, especially in view of the continued existence of some ownership links between airlines and some CRS.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Geoff Hoon: The Department for Transport has only started to hold separate records for late payment of commercial debts since 2008-09. The interest cost for this year was £84,000. Information for the previous two years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost as the interest charge are not held separately for those years.
	The following agencies have not paid interest charges in the last three years:
	Highways Agency
	Government Car and Despatch Agency
	Vehicle Operator Services Agency
	Vehicle Certification Agency
	The following agencies can provide information only at a disproportionate cost as they do not split the interest charges separately:
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
	Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	Driving Standards Agency.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the current business plan for the flexible benefits project; and what estimate he has made of the level of take-up required for the scheme to break even.

Geoff Hoon: The flexible benefits business plan is a confidential document so it would not be appropriate for it to be placed in the House Library. However, we estimate that the level of take-up required to break even with the scheme is about 2 per cent. over three years.

Departmental Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many breaches of security have been reported at  (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency,  (b) the Driving Standards Agency,  (c) the Government Car and Despatch Agency,  (d) the Highways Agency,  (e) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency,  (f) the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and  (g) the Vehicle Certification Agency in the last five years; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

Geoff Hoon: Information on breaches of security for the last five years for Department for Transport Agencies is not held centrally.
	The Department and its agencies report all significant personal data security breaches to the Cabinet Office and the ICO. Information on personal data security breaches is published on an annual basis in the Department's annual resource accounts as was announced in the Data Handling Review published on 25 June 2008.
	Additionally, all significant control weaknesses including other significant security breaches are included in the Statement of Internal Control which is published within the annual resource accounts.

Railways: Scotland

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 881W, on a London-Scotland high-speed rail link, what topics were discussed during the meeting on 24 April 2009; and whether any decisions on funding methodology for high-speed rail links were made at that meeting.

Paul Clark: There was a general discussion about the potential benefits of high-speed rail, including environmental considerations; the possibility of modal shift; economic priorities; and the consideration of the Scottish Government's views as work is taken forward.
	It was noted there is still a great deal of work to be done in developing a business case and identifying funding solutions, and the Scottish Executive was encouraged to engage with "High Speed Two" as this work commences.

Road Traffic

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on contracts for collecting data on congestion on roads in England in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The following table shows spending by the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency on contracts which wholly or mainly collect and/or process congestion data. It does not include feasibility studies, research or analysis contracts.
	
		
			  Spending (£000 excl. VAT) 
			  Financial year  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 DFT 1,624 1,388 1,486 1,861 984 
			 Highways Agency 2,015 2,821 3,280 3,234 3,222

Roads: Construction

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which road building programmes completed in each year since 2005 have affected areas of outstanding natural beauty and sites of special scientific interest.

Paul Clark: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House tables identifying major road schemes, costing over £5 million, completed by local highway authorities and the Highways Agency since 2005 and where the scheme has affected (1) areas of outstanding natural beauty and (2) sites of special scientific interest.

Speed Limits: Chideock

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department plans to make a decision on the cases of people wrongly notified of speeding offences as a result of the malfunctioning of the speed camera on the A35 at Chideock following the expiry of the March 2009 deadline for an announcement.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency is currently working with the Dorset Safety Camera Partnership regarding speeding offences from a Traffic Regulation Order on the A35 at Chideock in Dorset, found by the courts to be invalid. Any announcement will come from the partnership. The Highways Agency is working closely with them and it is anticipated that a statement will be made shortly.

WALES

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Paul Murphy: Euro Ministers are responsible for Euro preparations in their Department and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover.

Radioactive Fallout

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the proposed amendment to schedule 5 of the Government of Wales Act 2006, as set out in the proposed Legislative Competence (Environment) Order 2009, Cm 7608, will cover land-based radioactive fallout other than at military sites.

Paul Murphy: It would enable the National Assembly to legislate on radioactivity in these areas with certain exceptions. The exceptions relate to nuclear energy and nuclear installations, including nuclear safety and liability for nuclear occurrences, (other than the disposal of very low level radioactive waste moved from nuclear licensed sites) and the transport of radioactive material.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet: Glasgow

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was of holding the meeting of the Cabinet in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) on 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 378W. An additional invoice of £4,788 has been received for the venue.

Domestic Visits: Costs

Greg Hands: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1429W, on domestic visits: costs, when he expects the information requested to be available.

Gordon Brown: The information requested is not separately available. However, the costs will be included in the overall Operating Cost Statement of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published in the usual manner before the summer recess.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister who the members of the Special Advisers' Remuneration Committee are; what specialist qualifications each holds; when each was appointed and by whom; where the committee holds its meetings; what the budget of the committee is for  (a) office accommodation,  (b) staff costs and  (c) travel and subsistence in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: The Special Advisers' Remuneration Committee has existed in its current form since 2001. It is chaired by the Leader of the House of Lords, and has as its members a HM Treasury Minister, a Cabinet Office Minister, and a senior Cabinet Office official acting as an Accounting Officer. The Remuneration Committee meetings are held on the Government Estate. The Remuneration Committee incurs no accommodation, travel or subsistence costs. Support, including expertise on remuneration issues, is provided from existing resources within the Cabinet Office.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

British Airways

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many officials of each grade from his Department and its predecessor were seconded to work with British Airways in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Secondments are not managed centrally in the Department as they are delegated locally to line management. The information is not easily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Business: Government Assistance

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses have received assistance from the Capital for Enterprise Fund; and how much funding has been committed to date.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 26 February 2009
	 As from 20 May 2009, the Capital for Enterprise Fund has made offers totalling round £9 million to eight businesses.

Business: Government Assistance

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Capital for Enterprise Scheme began to operate.

Ian Pearson: The Capital for Enterprise Fund was launched on 14 January 2009, when a registration helpline was set up to manage inquiries and register applications.

Business: South West

Gary Streeter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance the South West of England Regional Development Agency is providing to small and medium-sized businesses in the South West region during the recession; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The South West Regional Development Agency's activity to support SMEs during the recession involves two key strands:
	 1. Strategic Leadership
	The South West RDA is an integral part of the South West Regional Economic Task Group (RETG), chaired by the Regional Minister for the South West, which is responsible for co-ordinating the region's overall response to the recession. It leads on work strands focusing on business support, skills and employment, and green economic recovery.
	In December 2008 the RDA established a Regional Business Forum to enable regular dialogue with key business representative organisations in the region. It acts as a sounding board for new plans and initiatives and provides business a voice to help shape policy development.
	Through its management of South West EU programmes, the RDA is ensuring that over £1 billion of EU and domestic investment from 2007 to 2013 is being targeted at improving the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses in the South West.
	 2. Support for Business
	The RDA has been working to enhance the support already available through the Government's Solutions For Business services provided via the Business Link network. Since October 2008, Business Link has provided over 4,350 free Business Health Checks to local SMEs, and developed a Business Survival Guide to help small businesses cope with the downturn and prepare for recovery.
	On 14 April the RDA launched its £10 million business loan fund which offers viable businesses with growth potential loans of up to £250,000. This augments the financial support available through the Government's Real Help for Business support package launched earlier this year.
	The RDA organised eight workshops in April and May which provided 500 businesses in the region with advice, guidance and networking opportunities.
	In November 2008 the RDA established eight Area Action Forces across the region to co-ordinate the public sector response to individual businesses in difficulty.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many officials in his Department are suspended; how many are suspended on full pay; for how long each has been suspended; and what the reasons are for each such suspension.

Patrick McFadden: There are less than five current suspensions in the Department. The detailed information requested could lead to the identification of individuals and therefore cannot be provided for reasons of confidentiality.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Patrick McFadden: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   Number of staff dismissed 
			 2002 10 
			 2003 15 
			 2004 11 
			 2005 14 
			 2006 9 
			 2007 11 
			 2008 9 
		
	
	Information for earlier years is not available.
	The total number of staff dismissed for reasons of under-performance, including both capability and attendance over the period 2002-08 inclusive is 25. A breakdown by individual year cannot be provided on the grounds of confidentiality.
	I have asked the Chief Executives of Companies House and Insolvency Service to provide separate data for the respective agencies.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 3 June 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 6 May 2009, UIN 274184, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House only has computer records of dismissals from 2004 onwards. The cost of obtaining information for previous years would be disproportionate.
	There have been no dismissals for under performance since 2004. The total number of dismissals is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 8 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 3 
			 2009 to date 2 
		
	
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 3 June 2009:
	The Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2008/2880) asking how many member of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed (a) for under-performance and (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.
	The numbers of dismissals within The Insolvency Service are shown in the table below:
	The figures shown for under-performance include dismissals due to unsatisfactory attendance:
	
		
			   Dismissals for under-performance  Total number of dismissals 
			 1999 1 1 
			 2000 3 4 
			 2001 5 9 
			 2002 6 7 
			 2003 4 4 
			 2004 14 15 
			 2005 4 6 
			 2006 10 11 
			 2007 12 16 
			 2008 9 14 
			 2009 (to date) 2 2

Departmental Lost Property

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost of replacing lost or stolen property from his Department was in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, East (John Mason) on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1333W.

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has spent on placing advertisements in  (a) weekly and  (b) regional newspapers in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The following was spent on regional press advertising by the former DTI and its agencies via the Central Office of Information:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2002-03 439,445 
			 2003-04 641,875 
			 2004-05 729,343 
			 2005-06 364,982 
		
	
	The following was spent by the Department on national and regional press advertising via the Central Office of Information, but cannot be broken down to show only spend on regional newspapers:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 675,522 
			 2007-08 222,273

Departmental Official Cars

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, column 2298W, on official cars, how many of the cars owned by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies are over six years old.

Patrick McFadden: BERR does not own any cars.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1489W.
	I have approached the Chief Executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House agencies and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 3 June 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 18 May 2009, UIN 276778, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House does not own any cars. The only vehicle we do own is a van which is under six years old.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 3 June 2009:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2008/3015) asking pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2009, Official Report, column 2298W, on official cars, how many of the cars owned by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies are over six years old.
	The Insolvency Service does not own any official cars.

Departmental Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many breaches of security there have been at  (a) Companies House and  (b) the Insolvency Service in the last five years; and what procedures are invoked in each organisation when a breach of security relating to personal data is identified.

Patrick McFadden: There have been no breaches of security into Companies House main building or any items stolen. However, in the last five years, three bicycles were stolen from the car park and four laptops have been stolen from private premises.
	There have been no breaches of security relating to personal data in the last five years. Companies House has a documented security incident procedure in line with the requirements of HMGIA Standard No. 6 —Protecting Personal Data and Managing Information Risk and the Security Framework. Any reportable breaches are recorded in Companies House Annual Report and Accounts.
	The Insolvency Service has experienced one breach of security in the last five years, namely the theft of four laptops from its Manchester office on 28 August 2008. Only one of the laptops contained personal data. The breach was reported to the police, Ministers, Cabinet Office and the Information Commissioner's Office. A press release was also issued in relation to the incident.
	The Insolvency Service follows Cabinet Office policies and procedures in dealing with notification of breaches involving personal data.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department and its predecessor spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: BERR spend on recycled office supplies in the last 12 months up to the end of April 2009 was £220,250.
	BERR and its predecessor spent the following on printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 87,013.44 
			 2004-05 202,749.92 
			 2005-06 235,448.49 
			 2006-07 227,642.42 
			 2007-08 202,015.25 
			 2008-09 289,945.98 
		
	
	BERR purchase remanufactured ink cartridges, unless stock availability prevents this.

Departmental Telephone Services

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the average waiting time for callers to his Department's telephone help lines was in the latest period for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: In the last three months the Inquiry Unit received 28,316 calls. 97 per cent. of these calls were answered within 15 seconds.

Directors: Disqualification

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance his Department provides to the Insolvency Service on procedures to be followed when people who are subject to a disqualification order or undertaking apply for permission to act as a director or take part in the management of a specific company.

Patrick McFadden: No guidance is provided by BERR to the Insolvency Service on the procedures that need to be followed. Such procedures are largely determined by the courts, the legislation and the Civil Procedures Rules. The Insolvency Service has developed its approach to such applications by referral to prior case judgments and to legal advice.
	To assist applicants, the Insolvency Service provides a guidance sheet (approved by Treasury Solicitors) to potential applicants which includes details of the information which my noble Friend the Secretary of State considers should normally be included in an applicant's evidence.

Directors: Disqualification

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people who are subject to a disqualification order or undertaking have  (a) applied for and  (b) been successful in an application to act as a director or take part in the management of a specific company in each month since January 1997.

Patrick McFadden: From 1 April 2006 the known figures for applications are:
	
		
			  Period  Applications  Granted  Dismissed  Withdrawn 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 24 18 2 4 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 30 18 1 11 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 36 24 6 4 
			 1 April 2009 to date 3 3   
			  Notes: 1. In the above period two are ongoing. 2. Statistics prior to 1 April 2006 have not been maintained.

Directors: Disqualification

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what procedures his Department has in place to monitor applications from people who are subject to a disqualification order or undertaking for permission to act as a director or take part in the management of a company.

Patrick McFadden: All such applications must be served on my noble Friend the Secretary of State, as he has a duty to appear on such applications and to call the attention of the court to any matters which seem to be relevant, and may give evidence or call witnesses. Most such applications are dealt with by the Defendant Liaison Team of the Insolvency Service which provides a guidance sheet (approved by Treasury Solicitors) to potential applicants which includes details of the information which my noble Friend the Secretary of State considers should normally be included in an applicant's evidence. Applicants should support their application to the court with full and particularised affidavit evidence which is supported by appropriate exhibits, and serve such evidence on my noble Friend the Secretary of State in sufficient time so as to give him a proper opportunity to consider it fully before the hearing of the application.
	The stance taken by my noble Friend the Secretary of State on each application, including whether to file evidence and/or oppose the application, can only be decided having regard to the facts and circumstances of each individual case.

Hotels: Construction

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will introduce measures to provide financial support for the capital costs of building new hotels.

Ian Pearson: The Real Help for Business measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 14 January 2009 are available to all businesses across the UK, with limited exemptions within some measures which apply to specific sectors, largely because there is alternative support already in place or the business is wholly speculative in nature.
	Details of all Real Help measures can be accessed at
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp.
	Information on finance schemes and an initial assessment of eligibility is available at
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp/finance.

Insolvency

Theresa May: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter on redundancies sent by his Department to insolvency practitioners on 4 March 2009.

Patrick McFadden: I will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House today.

Insolvency: Sefton

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses in  (a) Crosby and  (b) Sefton have entered into administration in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: There were 5,273 administrations (Enterprise Act 2002) in England and Wales between April 2008 and March 2009. Statistics covering business administrations are not currently available on a regional basis within England and Wales.

Low Pay Commission: Marketing

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much the Low Pay Commission has spent on advertising and marketing in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The Low Pay Commission has spent nothing on advertising and marketing in the last five years.

Low Pay Commission: Pay

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many staff of the Low Pay Commission are paid an annual salary of  (a) less than £15,000,  (b) between £15,000 and £20,000,  (c) between £20,000 and £25,000,  (d) between £25,000 and £30,000,  (e) between £30,000 and £40,000,  (f) between £40,000 and £50,000 and  (g) over £50,000.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) None
	 (b) None
	 (c) One
	 (d) Two
	 (e) Two
	 (f) One
	 (g) Three.

Low Pay Commission: Pay

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the salary of each member of the Low Pay Commission is; and what  (a) pension and  (b) expenses arrangements there are for Commission members.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 1 June 2009
	Low Pay Commissioners do not receive a salary or pension. They are entitled to claim daily attendance fee of £242.12 a day (Commissioner) and £530.96 a day (Chairman), although not all do. In addition, Commissioners can claim reasonable actual travelling, subsistence and incidental costs necessarily incurred in the course of the Commission's business.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letter of 13 November 2008 from the hon. Member for Wycombe concerning his constituents, Houshab and Nitesh Patel of Biofuel Refineries, regarding unfair overseas competition in the biodiesel trade.

Patrick McFadden: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding. The hon. Member will receive a response shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he will reply to the letters of 23 February and 17 April 2009 from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean, on credit for small leisure business, reference SP2151.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 15 May 2009
	 The Minister for Competitiveness and Small Business responded to the hon. Member on 15 May. I apologise for the delay which was caused by the current high volumes of correspondence.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letter of 6 April 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. D. Healey.

Patrick McFadden: I apologise to my right hon. Friend for the delay in responding. I will endeavour to respond shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford's letter of 9 March 2009 concerning his constituent, Mr Allan Jasson, of Chelmsford.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 1 June 2009
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding. The hon. Member will receive a response shortly.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 19 April 2009 from the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes on his constituent, Mr. Robert Bluffield.

Patrick McFadden: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding. The hon. Member will receive a response shortly.

New Businesses

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance is available from his Department for a person who wishes to start a business as a sole trader.

Ian Pearson: Advice for those wishing to start up as sole traders, or in other corporate forms, is available from the Business Link website
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	which provides a wide range of advice and support tools for new business start ups.

Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of support provided to social enterprise by regional development agencies.

Patrick McFadden: The RDAs produce corporate plans setting out corporate objectives and expenditure plans across all major activities including social enterprise. Progress against these plans is subsequently reviewed and reported in the RDA's annual report and accounts. RDAs are also required to undertake impact evaluations of their major projects. That work was recently collected together in a report "Impact of RDA Spending" carried out on the Department's behalf by PriceWaterhouseCoopers which provided an overall assessment of RDAs' effectiveness. The report concluded that RDA expenditure produced economic benefits in all regions.
	The Office of the Third Sector's Social Enterprise Action Plan announced £5.9 million for the regional development agencies to March 2011 to improve social enterprise support via Business Link. A formal evaluation of the programme by the Office of the Third Sector has begun, with BERR involvement, and will provide a mechanism to share results across the country, with central Government and with the sector. A draft report on the early stages of the programme is currently being considered by OTS, BERR, the RDAs and a group of social enterprise experts.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what post office services are operated with the Bank of Ireland.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 20 April 2009
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). Alan Cook, managing director of POL, wrote directly to the hon. Member on 27 April 2009.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Development Agencies

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what funding streams are provided by each regional development agency.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 1 June 2009
	Since April 2002, the RDAs have been financed through a Single Programme budget (the "Single Pot"). Money from the seven contributing Departments (BERR, CLG, DIUS, DECC, DEFRA, DCMS and UKTI) is pooled into one single budget.
	The funding, once allocated, is available to the RDAs in order to achieve the regional priorities identified in their regional economic strategies (RES) and the challenging targets set by them in their corporate plans. The corporate plans are approved by Ministers. Each region's plan will differ according to the needs, opportunities, and priorities for economic growth in each region.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding each regional development agency plans to give to each regional design panel in 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDA proposed funding for regional design panels in 2009-10.
	
		
			  RDA  Proposed funding for regional design panel in 2009-10 (£000) 
			 AWM 0 
			 EEDA 100 
			 EMDA 113 
			 LDA 15 
			 NWDA 142 
			 ONE 0 
			 SEEDA 72 
			 SWERDA 0 
			 YF 0

Royal Mail

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether Deutsche Post has informed him of the reasons for which it decided not to seek a stake in the Royal Mail.

Patrick McFadden: Deutsche Post's decision in relation to a partnership with Royal Mail Group Limited is a matter for them.

Small Businesses: Procurement

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for what reasons each of the recommendations in the Glover Review on small and medium-sized enterprises and public procurement cannot be implemented during 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Working with the Office of Government Commerce, this Department expects to implement 10 of the 12 recommendations contained in Anne Glover's report "Accelerating the SME economic engine" before the end of 2009. The two remaining recommendations concern the provision of a free procurement portal recommended by Anne Glover for delivery by 2010. Consideration is currently being given to delivery options which may involve a procurement exercise involving advertising in the "Official Journal of the European Union".

Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme

Philip Dunne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses have made successful applications for a Small Firms Loans Guarantee; and how much has been guaranteed under the scheme in each year from 2002-03 to 2007-08.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 27 March 2009
	 : For figures on the value and volume of loans made under SFLG in each of the last five years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1947W, to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan). Figures on the distribution of SFLG lending across all regions of England for financial years 2000-01 to 2006-07 are set out in the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Annual Report to Parliament 2006-07. Copies of the Annual Reports are placed in the Libraries of the House.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is in regular consultation with development agencies and other donors on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. These include the Government of Afghanistan, the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN World Food Programme (UN-WFP) and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA).
	DFID monitors closely the effectiveness of the delivery of humanitarian aid through assessments made by agencies who deliver aid on the ground such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN-WFP.

Cayman Islands: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the cost of reconstruction required in the Cayman Islands following Hurricane Paloma.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to monitor the situation through the Governor's Office and the Cayman Islands hazard management agency.
	In April the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean submitted their detailed study of economic damage and losses to the Cayman Islands Government. This indicates that the cost of reconstruction, based on replacement costs for direct damage caused by Hurricane Paloma, to be US$124.5 million, or 7.4 per cent. of gross domestic product. DFID provided support for this study.
	On 15 May, the Governor visited Cayman Brae, finding that all critical facilities are functioning, including Government buildings, schools and hospitals. Housing repair is well under way and is a priority.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff employed in London on work contracted out by his Department earn less than £7.45 per hour.

Ivan Lewis: 26 individuals employed in London on work contracted out by the Department for International Development earn less than £7.45 per hour. We are currently reviewing these contracts.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to  (a) all staff and  (b) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 656W.

Departmental White Papers

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress his Department has made towards the publication of its White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The forthcoming White Paper on International Development is on track to be laid before Parliament before both Houses rise for the summer recess in July. The consultation period finished on 27 May. Through events, online discussions and written submissions, the consultation received contributions from approximately 3,000 organisations and individuals.

Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many actions under employment law have been brought against his Department in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many such actions were contested by his Department at an employment tribunal.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development was subject to less than five actions under employment law in each of the last three years; no actions were contested at an employment tribunal.
	Providing specific information on such a small number of cases could potentially breach the confidentiality of individuals concerned.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of Sri Lankans in camps for the internally displaced; what estimate he has made of the number of such camps hosting such people; and what reports he has received on the access of UN officials to such camps.

Michael Foster: The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the camps is growing rapidly as thousands of civilians leave the conflict zone. The United Nations (UN) has stated that approximately 280,000 people have now been security screened and registered. IDPs are currently accommodated in 41 sites situated in Vavuniya, Jaffna and Trincomalee. The UN has generally had better access to the camps than NGOs, particularly in Jaffna.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Public Libraries

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a comprehensive and efficient library service in  (a) Wirral and  (b) England.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities have a duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" library service. On 3 April 2009, the Secretary of State announced his intention to use his powers under the Act to hold an inquiry to test whether the Wirral MBC's plans for its library service, arising from its strategic asset review, are consistent with its statutory duties. If the council is found to have fallen short of these duties, the inquiry will recommend the actions necessary to rectify that breach. The inquiry has now been launched and will report in due course.
	In considering the findings of both the Wirral inquiry and the DCMS Library Service Modernisation (which will determine the Government's vision for a modern, world-class public library service and set out some of the necessary steps to support all local authorities in providing continuously improving, excellent library services) the Secretary of State will consider what further guidance is needed by local authorities on the interpretation of "comprehensive and efficient".

Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire of 1 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1217-8W, on tourism, what estimates have been made for 2008-09; and how much funding each Department provided under each heading in each year.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 1 May 2009
	The following table gives details of Government spending on tourism for 2008-09:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 VisitBritain funded by DCMS (1)49.9 
			 Additional emergency funding 0 
			 Regional development agencies (RDA), through the RDA Single Pot(2) administered by DBERR (3)n/a 
			 Additional DCMS funding for London through Greater London Authority (GLA) 1.9 
			 (1) Resource and Capital grant in aid combined, plus additional £2 million relocation costs. (2) DCMS contribution £3.5 million. (3) RDA figures not yet available—still to be audited. 
		
	
	The funding received by the British Tourist Authority and its successor VisitBritain came from DCMS, and the RDA funding from the RDA Single Pot administered by BERR, including a £3.5 million contribution from DCMS (which was £3.6 million in the years up to 2007-08). The funding for the GLA also came from DCMS. The £19 million emergency funding for the "Million Visitor Campaign" in 2001-02 was provided by HMT.

OLYMPICS

CLM

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much CLM has been paid since its appointment as an Olympic contractor; and how much it is expected to be paid over the duration of the contract.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has engaged the Delivery Partner, CLM, to provide world class programme and project management expertise across the ODA's programme.
	Details of payments to CLM are published annually in the ODA annual report and accounts. For the last two years the figures were:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 18.1 
			 2007-08 87.6 
		
	
	The next ODA annual report is due to be published in July 2009 and will include the Delivery Partner payment for the financial year 2008-09.
	The overall amount expected to be paid to CLM is commercially confidential and will vary depending on a number of factors including performance and scope of work undertaken.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Manpower

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many people have been employed by the Olympic Delivery Authority in each year since 2005; and how many have been engaged by the Authority on consultancy contracts in each such year.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) was established as an NDPB by the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act, which received Royal Assent in March 2006. The following figures cover the position at the end of each financial year. The increase in the number of employees is related to the increase in the pace of the construction programme:
	
		
			  Employees (permanent and fixed term appointments) 
			   Employees 
			 31 March 2007 112 
			 31 March 2008 182 
			 31 March 2009 225 
		
	
	
		
			  Non-permanent members of staff (consultants/interims) 
			   Employees 
			 31 March 2007 23 
			 31 March 2008 56 
			 31 March 2009 129

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many organisations at  (a) national,  (b) regional and  (c) local level are receiving Olympic legacy funding; and how much has been disbursed at each level in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell: The Legacy Trust UK (LTUK) was established to support a wide range of innovative cultural and sporting projects, which celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the United Kingdom. The trust was established using a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Since its inception LTUK has awarded a total of £30 million in grants. £6 million has been committed for the staging of the UK School Games, which are run by the Youth Sports Trust, between 2008 and 2011.
	Some £24 million has been committed to 12 nations' and regions' organisations to run various cultural projects as follows:
	
		
			  Nation/region  £  million 
			 North West 3.02 
			 North East 1.53 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2.24 
			 West Midlands 2.2 
			 East Midlands 1.61 
			 East of England 1.51 
			 South West 1.61 
			 South East 1.923 
			 London 2.89 
			 Wales 1.67 
			 Scotland 2.57 
			 Northern Ireland 1.31 
			 Total 24.083 
		
	
	For a nation or region to receive a grant from LTUK, strict funding criteria have been applied, including a requirement to set up an advisory group, made up of a range of sporting and cultural organisations, which is responsible for the managing and distribution of the money within that region.
	The LTUK is currently finalising their plans for the remaining funds to support three more national initiatives, with announcements expected shortly.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what grants have been made from the £2.7 billion Olympic contingency fund; and of those which have been allocated to the  (a) programme and  (b) funded stream.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 1 June 2009
	Of the total £2.7 billion contingency, £238 million is for wider policing and security and is controlled by the Home Office. £500 million was allocated to the ODA as part of its baseline budget, as announced in December 2007.
	The remaining £1.9 billion is split between funders and programme contingency. Contingency releases to the ODA are reported in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Reports and Quarterly Economic Reports, the first of which was published on 13 May 2009, and are summarised as follows:
	
		
			Contingency (£ million) 
			Funders  Programme 
			 September 2008 Various—balance of funding gap after savings — 21.5 
			 
			 November 2008 Olympic Stadium (primary strengthening) — 8.2 
			  Handball arena (acoustics & HD lighting) — 2.3 
			 
			 December 2008 Handball area (capacity) 2.4 — 
			  Olympic stadium (blast hardening) 0.7 — 
			 
			 January 2009 Olympic Village and IBC/MPC 394.0 67.0 
			  VAT reduction & inflation savings (101.0) — 
			 
			 February 2009 Stratford City/Olympic Village infrastructure — 111.0 
			 
			 May 2009 Olympic Village 150.0 111.0 
			  Total released 446.2 237.7 
			  Balance remaining 557.8 730.3 
		
	
	The quarterly economic update published in May 2009 reported that an additional £324 million had been invested in the Olympic Village. This was made up of £261 million contingency shown above together with £63 million of savings achieved from across the ODA programme. It is expected that the whole £324 million will be recovered from future apartment sales.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file FPS 15/17 Unborn Children (Protection) Bill—(Mr. Enoch Powell); and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file  (a) FPS 15/17 Parliamentary Proceedings—Mr. Enoch Powell,  (b) FPS 15/17 Unborn Children (Protection) Bill: Mr. Burt and  (c) FPS 15/17 Unborn Children (Protection) Bill—Duke of Norfolk; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Copies of the files have been placed in the Library. Where documents have been withheld, the reason is stated within the copy of each volume.

Eyesight: Testing

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practising optometrists have been trained to identify  (a) low vision conditions and  (b) early stage vision deterioration.

Ann Keen: As part of their training and professional qualifying examinations, all optometrists are expected to be able to identify the signs of conditions which could give rise to vision loss and might be amenable to remediation, and the early stages of vision deterioration.

Healthcare Commission: Complaints

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints the Healthcare Commission has  (a) received and  (b) resolved in each year since its inception; what the average cost of processing such complaints has been to date; how many staff were employed by the Commission to handle complaints in each year; and what expenditure the Commission incurred on complaints handling in each such year.

Ann Keen: The Care Quality Commission took over from the Healthcare Commission on 1 April 2009. At the same time, the previous three-stage national health service complaints procedure (local resolution, Healthcare Commission, health service ombudsman) was replaced by a two-stage process (local resolution, health service ombudsman). The Healthcare Commission's complaints handling functions (including information and staffing) have therefore not been transferred to CQC.
	The number of complaints received and reviewed up to 31 July 2008 is available from the Healthcare Commission's three reports "Spotlight on Complaints—A report on second-stage complaints about the NHS in England" published in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
	From July 2004 to July 2006—16,130 requests for review were received. In the same period, 10,950 reviews were completed.
	From August 2006 to July 2007—7,500 requests for review were received. In the same period, 10,366 reviews were completed.
	From August 2007 to 31 July 2008—7,827 requests for review were received. In the same period, 8,949 reviews were completed.
	In the 2007 Spotlight on Complaints report the Healthcare Commission published figures on staffing related to the period July 2004 to July 2006. During this time the number of staff dealing with cases increased from 21 to more than 150.
	According to the Healthcare Commission annual report and accounts 2007-08, the net operating cost of the Commission's complaints handling function in 2007-08 was £9.6 million, compared to £9.8 million in 2006-07. However, given that the handling and resolution of complaints also draws on resources from elsewhere in the Commission, it is not possible to calculate accurately the full average cost of handling each complaint.

Mental Health Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he made of the number of empty beds in  (a) low,  (b) medium and  (c) high security mental health hospitals on each day in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: These data are not collected centrally to this level of detail.
	Data are collected by the Department on the average daily bed occupancy level in all low, medium and high secure units in a given year. In 2007-08, the average daily number of available beds in all secure units in England was 3,159, with an average daily occupancy rate of 2,885 beds or 91.3 per cent.
	Snapshot data were collected on 30 September 2008, but only in respect of high secure services, when 879 beds were available, with an overall occupancy rate of 90.4 per cent. The data include 48 designated learning disability beds. Separate data for low secure and medium secure units' bed occupancy levels have not been collected by the Department.

NHS: Standards

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on England's position among Western European states for  (a) prevalence of and  (b) treatment standards for (i) heart, (ii) kidney disease and  (c) stroke; and what plans he has to improve this ranking over the next 10 years.

Ann Keen: Data from the 2006 Health Survey for England suggest the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in England was 6.5 per cent. in men and 4.0 per cent. in women. Prevalence rates increase with age, with more than one in three men and around one in four women aged 75 and over living with CHD.
	Overall we estimate that there are just over 1.1 million men living in the United Kingdom who have had angina and around 970,000 who have had a heart attack and around 850,000 women who have had angina and around 439,000 who have had a heart attack. Combined, these estimates suggest that 2.1 million men and 1.3 million women, around 3.4 million adults, in the UK reporting angina and/or a heart attack. This is likely to be an overestimate as those suffering from angina are not an independent group to those suffering from a heart attack.
	Comparable data on prevalence of the cardiovascular diseases are difficult to access. At present there is no routinely updated source of Europe-wide data.
	With regards to plans for tackling heart disease, the Department is commissioning an external review of the implementation and delivery of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework. We are also undertaking an analysis of the trends in the burden of cardiac disease including patient expectations and needs, technology and working practices and how these are likely to affect future demand and patterns of service provision.
	We understand that a report on Access to Cardiac Care in the UK commissioned by the Cardio and Vascular Coalition, the British Heart Foundation and the British Cardiovascular Society was launched on 2 June 2009, which includes some comparison with other European countries. This will be a helpful contribution to our work on future needs.
	The Department contributed information to the Euro Consumer Heart Index in 2008, which provides comparisons between European countries across a number of indicators including access to treatment, prevention, national guidelines and outcomes. In this index, the UK ranked 9 out of 29 European countries. No separate score was available for England.
	The number of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not accurately known, because a lack of symptoms in the early stages means it often remains undiagnosed. However, a survey of blood samples in South East England in 2000-01 indicated the prevalence of CKD to be 5,554 per million population. Also the introduction of CKD into the Quality and Outcomes Framework has determined that there are 1.5 million people with CKD stages 3-5 (5 being established as renal failure).
	Part 1 of the National Service Framework for Renal Services, published in January 2004, sets five standards and identifies 30 markers of good practice in the areas of dialysis and transplantation, aimed at improving fairness of access, patient choice about the type of treatment they receive and reducing variation in the quality of dialysis and kidney transplant services. These standards and markers of good practice will help the national health service and its partners to manage the increasing demand for renal services.
	Future plans for renal services are to identify people at risk of kidney disease in a timely manner to optimise care, ensure kidney patients receive high quality care and to offer patients a choice of all forms of replacement therapy.
	Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in England, with over 110,000 strokes happening every year.
	The National Stroke Strategy for England (December 2007) sets 20 'quality markers' which outline the features of a good service in the assessment and treatment of strokes, and those support services needed for stroke survivors to return to as full as possible a life in their community.
	The National Stroke Strategy was launched on 5 December 2007 following extensive consultation. It provides a 10-year framework setting out key elements of an improved stroke service. At the launch of the strategy, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) announced £105 million of central funding over three years would be spent to support implementation.

NHS: Standards

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of inequalities in the  (a) prevalence and  (b) treatment of (i) cardiac and (ii) vascular diseases between (A) the sexes, (B) geographical areas, (C) social groups, (D) economic groups and (E) ethnic groups; and what projects (1) are in place and (2) are planned to reduce such inequalities over the next decade.

Ann Keen: The Government have made tackling health inequalities a top priority, and have set a challenging target to reduce inequalities in infant mortality and life expectancy. The most comprehensive programme ever in this country is in place to address them. This draws on a wide range of data and analysis, some carried out within the Department and the national health service and some carried out by academic units.
	Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for about a third of the gap in life expectancy and a range of programmes are reducing deaths and closing the inequalities gap.
	In 1999 a target to reduce the mortality rate from CVD (coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and related diseases) by at least 40 per cent. in people under 75 by 2010 was established. This has been the subject of annual monitoring. Data from 2004-06 indicate that this target was met five years early and the mortality rate has now fallen by 44 per cent. when compared to the 1995-97 baseline. The gap in death rates from CVD between the most health-deprived areas and the national average has narrowed by 36 per cent. over the same period, and we are on track to deliver the 2010 target of at least a 40 per cent. reduction in the gap.
	With regard to cardiac disease, a major assessment of the burden of CHD informed the development of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework (CHD NSF) published in March 2000. The findings of this assessment are included in the first chapter of the NSF 'Modern Standards and Service Models'. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available online at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4094275
	A key project to address the inequalities recognised in the NSF has been a major investment programme of £735 million in facilities and equipment aimed at improving and increasing access for appropriate cardiac interventions. Full details are available in the 2007 CHD NSF progress report, 'Building for the Future'. A copy has been placed in the Library and is available online at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_083060
	Progress on the standards in the CHD NSF has been monitored annually including the impact on inequalities.
	The Department developed a National Service Framework for Diabetes in 2003 and a National Service Framework for Renal Services in 2004. In 2007, the National Stroke Strategy was published. The implementation plans for all three include a strong focus on tackling inequalities.
	A range of other initiatives to tackle inequalities is being taken forward. For example, the Department has commissioned the Improvement Foundation to work in the 20 areas with the worst health status to improve the identification and treatment of people at risk of cardiovascular disease:
	www.improvementfoundation.org/theme/reducing-health-inequalities
	In addition to this the primary care trusts (PCTs) in the most deprived areas are working with the National Health Inequalities Support Team. Using the Health Inequalities Intervention Tool they are being supported in priority setting (including prioritising vascular conditions), planning and commissioning of services.
	On the prevention front, from April 2009, the NHS has been asked to start implementing a systematic and integrated vascular risk assessment and management programme—the NHS Health Check programme. This will provide a mechanism to identify earlier people who are at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and support them to reduce their risk through the provision of lifestyle advice and interventions, and preventative medication, for example statins. Before the implementation of this programme, the Department undertook an Equality Impact Assessment. This assessment used existing evidence that gave details of inequalities in the prevalence of vascular disease of both genders, people of transgender, by age, sexual orientation, geographical regions, socio-economic groups, ethnic groups and disability. The programme has significant potential to narrow inequalities and many PCTs are using it as a major tool in tackling health inequalities.
	The Department is also funding a number of third sector projects to deliver work focused on particular minority communities. These include nine stroke projects including the Stroke Association's 'Blood Pressure Awareness—African Caribbean and South Asian Communities', Connect's 'Provision of training and support for people with Aphasia' and the Afiya Trust's 'Stroke Awareness for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities'. For renal services, the Department is funding a project managed by the Black Organ Donor Association that will promote awareness of the need for organ donation in black and minority ethnic communities.
	With regard to longer term plans, the Department is commissioning an external review of the implementation and delivery of the CHD NSF. In addition to this, we will undertake an analysis of the trends in the burden of cardiac disease and look at how patient expectation and need, technology and working practices are likely to affect future demand and patterns of service provision. We will also continue to develop our cross-vascular work programme. We will feed our findings to the Department's National Quality Board, which has been set up to oversee the priorities for the service in the future.

Vulnerable Adults: Protection

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who  (a) monitors and  (b) investigates complaints made against adult protection multi-agency committees set up in accordance with his Department's "No Secrets" guidance, LAC (2000)7.

Phil Hope: Adult protection committees (APCs) are the partnership bodies that develop multi-agency procedures for staff in partner agencies, including local authorities, the national health service and police, to follow when responding to allegations of abuse against vulnerable adults. APCs are also known as Safeguarding Adults Boards or Partnerships.
	"No Secrets" does not prescribe arrangements for managing complaints about APCs. However, it would be good practice for each APC to agree a policy on handling complaints, including how complaints should be monitored and investigated.
	APCs are accountable to the individual partner agencies, which should satisfy themselves that complaints are handled in accordance with the agreed policy.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to implement the Afghan Public Protection Programme in Helmand province.

Bill Rammell: The Government of Afghanistan, with support from the US, are currently piloting the Afghan Public Protection Programme in Wardak province. This scheme empowers individual communities to take a greater role in providing their own security. There are no plans as yet to run a pilot program in Helmand. Only once the pilot has been vigorously evaluated will any decisions on expansion be taken.

Afghanistan: Police

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) size and  (b) capability of the Afghan National Police.

Bill Rammell: As of 30 April 2009 the size of the Afghan National Police (ANP) was estimated to be 81,584. The authorised strength (tashkil) of the ANP is 86,800. This includes an increase of 4,800 to bolster security in Kabul in the lead-up to the August elections. The ANP includes the Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP), Border Police (ABP) and Civil Order Police (ANCOP). The capability of the ANP varies across the forces and continues to suffer from major problems including low levels of literacy and high levels of corruption.
	The AUP provides basic security and policing and is currently receiving US-led training under the Focused District Development Programme. ANCOP plays a niche but vital role in the counter-insurgency campaign and regularly supports the Afghan national army on operations. It also backfills the AUP during its participation in training. It is judged to be a more effective force compared with the other elements of the ANP. The Afghan Border Police needs more development although it has made some progress in policing Afghanistan's airports, following training.

Afghanistan: Police

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) private security organisations,  (b) national armed forces and other official organisations and  (c) intergovernmental organisations are providing training for the Afghan National Police; how many Afghan National Police officers in each force have received such training from each such organisation; and how many British (i) military and (ii) civilian personnel work in each such organisation.

Bill Rammell: The major private security organisations providing training for the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Afghanistan are MPRI, Dyncorp and Xe. We do not have an estimate of the total number of private security companies delivering police training in Afghanistan. Nor do we have figures for British personnel in these organisations.
	We are unable to provide numbers of armed forces, or civilian personnel, engaged in police training and reform from other countries. The principal country delivering police training is the US. 12 Ministry of Defence Police are delivering police training and reform at the provincial level. There are 24 British armed forces delivering ANP training at the district level, with additional force protection.
	The US organisation leading on delivering police training is the Combined Security Transitional Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A). CSTC-A has agreements with Germany, France, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK. We are unable to give total figures for those delivering training to the ANP. There are three British police officers in CSTC-A engaged on police reform. Seven British military personnel are working in CSTC-A on security sector reform, including policing.
	The main organisation delivering police training and reform at the strategic level is the EU Policing mission (EUPOL). At the beginning of May 2009 the EUPOL mission was 326-strong and included police experts from the EU, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand and Norway. We have no breakdown of numbers. We are funding 15 British civilians in EUPOL, but have no figures for additional British staff directly contracted by the EU. There are no UK military in EUPOL.
	We do not have a figure for the number of Afghan National Police officers in each force who have received training from each organisation. The US estimated that 20,000 ANP had undergone Focused District Development (FDD) training at the end of 2008. CSTC-A is planning to train a further 34,000 ANP in 2009. On 27 April 2009, over 4,700 ANP were in training.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on proposals to add the judges, court officials and police involved in the recent trial of Aung San Suu Kyi to the list of members of the Burmese regime whose assets within the EU are frozen and who are banned from travel to the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: In the event that the Burmese regime continues to ignore international protests about Aung San Suu Kyi's arrest and trial, the EU will need to consider what additional actions it should take in order to bring further pressure to bear. Adding further names to the current list of those covered by the visa ban and asset freeze would be an option for further measures. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the prospect of such measures with his counterparts on 18 May 2009.

Burma: Sanctions

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which preparatory bodies the General Affairs and External Relations Council has asked to review proposals to reinforce existing restrictive measures on Burma; what role the UK has played in the process; and when the review is expected to be completed.

Bill Rammell: The Asia-Oceania Working Group (COASI) in Brussels has been charged with reviewing proposals to reinforce the restrictive measures. The UK has also instigated bilateral discussions on options with our partners. There is no set deadline for the completion of the review, but the UK is seeking to ensure that the EU is ready to respond swiftly to developments on the ground.

Burma: Sanctions

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for further discussions with Asian countries on Burma have been made at EU level; what steps the UK is taking in this regard; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Members of the EU share the UK's view that our Asian partners have a key role to play in encouraging the process of change in Burma. The EU raises the issue of Burma in its discussions with China, India and other Asian states at every opportunity. I joined Asian and other EU Ministers at the Asia Europe Meeting on 25-26 May 2009 in Hanoi and at the EU-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Summit on 27-28 May 2009 in Phnom Penh. Burma and the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi were among the issues discussed in detail at that meeting.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1146W, on conflict prevention, what the original planned total allocation for conflict prevention was for  (a) South Asia, including Afghanistan,  (b) Africa,  (c) Europe and  (d) the Middle East under the annual tri-departmental review for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The original planned total allocation for conflict activity in financial year (FY) 2009-10 was set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement: £109 million for Conflict Prevention, £73 million for Stabilisation and an additional call on the Treasury Reserve for the Peacekeeping Budget (£374 million).
	As stated in the previous response, individual country/regional allocations were agreed through an annual tri- departmental (Department for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence) review of planned activity across all three funds.
	Under the tri-departmental review for 2009-10, the UK's total available conflict resource for FY 2009-10 (leaving aside the cost of UK military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq) was increased to £627 million (from £556 million). The breakdown is as follows:
	£456 million has been ring-fenced for assessed peacekeeping. The remaining £171 million will fund all discretionary peacekeeping, conflict prevention and stabilisation. It has been divided in the following ways:
	Africa—£43 million
	Middle East—£18 million
	Wider Europe—£33 million
	South Asia—£61.3 million
	Strategic Security International Organisations—£6.5 million
	Central Reserve—£9.2 million (to act primarily as a buffer against fluctuations in the exchange rate and increases in assessed peacekeeping or other conflict-related costs).

Departmental Public Expenditure

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration allocation for the Baghdad post was reduced from £26,584,327 in 2007-08 to £2,673,946 in 2008-09; what categories of cost are now incurred at the post; and how much staff security at the post cost in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: Since 1 April 2008 funds for major contracts in Iraq have been managed from London as this is more cost-effective. The funds managed at post are for local running costs.
	The total allocations for London and posts in Iraq Directorate for 2007-08 were £39.2 million. In 2008-09 total allocations reduced to £36.1 million. The decrease in allocation was because of the renegotiation of major contracts.
	Costs incurred at Baghdad include those for security, transport, medical, catering and other life support costs.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration allocation for the Kirkuk post was reduced from £1,390,059 in 2007-08 to nil in 2008-09; for what reason the administration allocation for the new post at Erbil remains at £140,569; what services in Kirkuk have been reduced as a result of the change; and what recent discussions he has had with authorities in the Kurdistan region on the effect of the change on the UK's policy on northern Iraq and the Kurds.

Gillian Merron: UK-based staff moved from Kirkuk to Erbil in February 2007. One locally engaged staff member remains in Kirkuk, administered from Erbil. All services provided to Kirkuk have ceased.
	Since 1 April 2008 funds for major contracts in Iraq have been managed from London as this is more cost-effective. The funds managed at post are for local running costs.
	The total allocations for London and posts in Iraq Directorate for financial year (FY) 2007-08 were £39.2 million. In FY 2008-09 total allocations reduced to £36.1 million. The decrease in allocation was because of the renegotiation of major contracts.
	The Government attach great value to our relationship with the Kurds both as part of bilateral relationship with Iraq and directly with the Kurdistan Region. Kurdish leaders including Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani have a major role to play in continued stabilisation and security in Iraq and, through dialogue with the federal Government in Baghdad and finding political solutions to the remaining nation-building legislation.
	Separately, we continue to strengthen our relationship with the Kurdish Region by helping it to prosper as a stable, democratic and economically viable region through closer ties in education, trade, culture, security sector reform and supporting its efforts to establish better relations with its neighbours such as Turkey.

EC Law

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of domestic legislation which was enacted as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: A House of Commons Library analysis of the effects of EU legislation on British law between 1998 and 2005 gave a figure of 9.1 per cent.

European Commission

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1196W, on the European Union, for which international bodies his Department recognises the European Commission as having an active treaty competence interest.

Caroline Flint: The European Commission's Treaties Office keeps track of all the treaties to which the European Community is a party. It is publicly available at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/default.home.do
	Where the European Community is a member of an international organisation the European Commission will attend meetings of the organisation and may speak on matters falling within the European Community's competence.

European Court of Justice

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government spent on legal costs for cases at the European Court of Justice for 2008.

Gillian Merron: For the financial year 2008-09, in relation to cases before the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance, the Government spent £514,111.00 on counsel's fees. This figure does not include a limited number of outstanding fees relating to work undertaken in 2008-09 for which the Government have not yet been invoiced.

European Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated marginal cost to the UK Permanent Representation to the EU was of European Parliament plenaries taking place in Strasbourg in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: The estimated marginal cost of Strasbourg plenary sessions to the UK Permanent Representation to the EU for the past 12 months was around €65,000. The UK Permanent Representation, on behalf of the Government, engages regularly with the European Parliament, including the Strasbourg plenary sessions, in order to achieve the best outcome for the UK.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next dialogue meeting between the Government of the Gambia and the EU will be held; and whether he plans to raise the case of David and Fiona Fulton at that meeting.

Gillian Merron: The next EU-Gambia meeting is scheduled for 10 June 2009. This meeting will not provide an opportunity for our high commissioner to raise the Fultons' case as he will be acting as the sole representative of the EU presidency on EU-Gambia matters. Consular staff continue to monitor the Fultons' case and make regular visits. Our high commissioner will make representations directly to the Gambian authorities where appropriate.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 172W, on Iran: sanctions, what his policy is on the length of time Iran will be given to respond in a positive way before further steps are taken.

David Miliband: Following a meeting of officials from the E3+3 on 8 April 2009, EU High Representative Javier Solana contacted Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to invite Iran to meet with the E3+3.
	Iran has yet to respond to the E3+3's invitation. While we remain committed to engagement, we are also clear that the window of opportunity for Iran to take positive steps is not open-ended.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 2 April 2009, transferred from the Department for International Development on 9 April, on Hakamada Iwao.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 20 May 2009
	This letter was replied to on 20 May 2009.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on levels of smuggling into Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: There are two types of smuggling into Gaza. The majority of smuggling is for commercial goods, including fuel. We believe that this continues to be a major part of the Gazan economy, primarily because of the continuing Israeli restrictions at the commercial crossings into the strip. The UK continues to call on the Israeli Government to reduce restrictions at the Gaza crossings on trade goods, reconstruction materials, and aid, as well as flows of people. The second type of smuggling is arms smuggling. We believe that recent actions have disrupted this to some extent but that it does continue. UK officials will attend a meeting in Ottawa in June 2009 (following earlier meetings in Copenhagen and London) to address further measures to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on attempts by Hamas to re-arm in the Gaza Strip; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We are deeply concerned by reports of continued sporadic rocket attacks from Gaza aimed at Israel and call on the attacks to cease immediately. The UK continues to urge Hamas to renounce violence and condemns attempts to smuggle weapons and ammunition into Gaza.
	The UK continues to work with international partners against the smuggling of arms into Gaza. UK officials will attend a meeting in Ottawa in June 2009 (following earlier meetings in Copenhagen and London), to address further measures to prevent arms smuggling.

Pakistan: Nuclear Weapons

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on  (a) recent activity in Pakistan's nuclear programme and  (b) construction of facilities at (i) the Dera Ghazi Khan nuclear site and (ii) the Institute of Science and Technology; and what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on Pakistan's nuclear programme.

David Miliband: Recent reports on Pakistan's nuclear programme indicate that Pakistan is continuing to expand its nuclear weapons capabilities both in terms of warheads and their delivery systems. Dera Ghazi Khan nuclear site and the Institute of Science and Technology are both involved in Pakistan's nuclear programme. I regularly discuss this and a range of other issues with my Pakistani counterpart, most recently on 26 May 2009.

Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1071W, on peacekeeping operations, how many UK civilian secondees there have been to each conflict prevention and peacekeeping operation in each country in 2008-09; and what the role of each was.

David Miliband: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  FY 2008-09 
			   Number 
			 Total police deployed 157 
			 Total civilians deployed 74 
			 Total overall deployed 231 
		
	
	
		
			  Mission  Number of secondees deployed to mission throughout FY08-09  Roles  u ndertaken by UK  s econdees 
			 EUPol Afghanistan 12 police Deputy Head of Mission 
			   CID Adviser 
			   Mentor State Office of Criminal Investigation 
			   Mentor at Central Level 
			   Training Adviser 
			   Mentor Criminal Investigation Department MoI 
			   Head of Kabul City Police Project Team 
			   Head of Mentors 
			   Operations Support Officer 
			   Mentor Deputy Minister of Interior 
			  1 civilian Mentor of Attorney General's Office 
			
			 Combined Strategy Transition Command - Afghanistan 3 police (2 for 1 role) Senior Adviser on Afghan Police Development to the Commanding General 
			   National Police Development Manager 
			
			 EUPM Bosnia 14 police + 1 civilian Chief Adviser to SIPA 
			   Human Resource Management Adviser 
			   Crime Adviser, Regional Office 
			   SIPA Adviser 
			   Chief Adviser to Regional Office 
			   Anti-Organised Crime Adviser 
			   Crime Adviser to SIPA 
			   Anti-Organised Crime Unit Co-ordinator 
			   SIPA Adviser, HQ 
			   Border Police Adviser 
			   Adviser to Regional Office 
			   Adviser to Field Office 
			   Operational Adviser SIPA 
			   Senior Immigration Adviser 
			   Chief of the Anti-Organised Crime Department 
			
			 EUPol COPPS Palestine 4 police (2 for 1 role) Projects Officer 
			   Mission Security Officer 
			   Staff & Liaison Officer 
			
			 CPCC Brussels 2 police CPCC Police Export 
			   DGE IX - External Relations 
			  1 civilian Logistics Expert 
			
			 CivPol Iraq 25 police UK Chief Police Adviser - Iraq 
			   Team Support Manager 
			   SPA Tactical 
			   MND(SE) Liaison - ISF Branch 
			   Internal Affairs 
			   Leadership Department 
			   Higher Institute Development 
			   CPATT-Dep.Dir.Trg. Standards 
			   MOI / CPATT Strategic Policing Adviser 
			   Rol - Investigator 
			   Training Adviser 
			   MOI / HWG Strategic Policing Adviser 
			   Strategic Planning Adviser 
			
			 EU JUSTLEX Brussels 4 civilians Chief of Staff 
			   Course Co-ordinator Penitentiary 
			   Police Course Co-ordinator 
			   Mission Security Officer 
			
			 EULEX Kosovo 83 police Intelligence Unit Officer 
			   Intelligence Unit Officer 
			   Intelligence Unit Officer 
			   Chief Adviser to KPS admin 
			   Shift Leader Monitor 
			   D/Director Special Ops 
			   Chief SPU Ops Planning 
			   Oversight Investigations 
			   Witness Protection 
			   Commander CPU 
			   Station Commander Liaison Officer(SCLO) 
			   Surveillance 
			   Director of Crime 
			   Regional Ops 
			   Shift Leader Monitor 
			   FIC Analyst 
			   Adviser to Head of KPS Mandatory Training 
			   Chief of CTU 
			   Intelligence unit officer 
			   Border, Gate 31 
			   Head of CIU 
			   Ops Planning 
			   Intelligence unit officer 
			   Gate 31 Monitor 
			   Staff Officer to Police Commissioner 
			   Team Leader Organised Crime (IPU) 
			   DPC,KPS Admin 
			   Exec Officer, Operations 
			   Head of Intelligence IPU 
			   Enhancement Force 
			   Gate Cdr Gate 31 
			   Counter Terrorist Unit 
			   Deputy Reg Cdr/Investigations Monitor. 
			   TUM Mitro Regional Traffic Unit 
			   War Crimes Investigator 
			   Deputy head of CIU 
			   Gate 31 Monitor 
			   Adviser to support and service selection/ Dir org crime 
			   War Crimes Investigator 
			   Analyst CIU 
			   Intelligence Analyst 
			   Adviser to KPS OPS- Station 
			   Adviser to interethnic crime investigations 
			   Chief police station Adviser 
			   Surveillance investigations officer 
			   Shift Leader gates 1/31 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Adviser to KPS ROSU 
			   Adviser to the KPS Regional Admin and support 
			   Chief Adviser to KPS admin 
			   Adviser to the KPS chief of staff 
			   Adviser to KPS OPS- station 
			   Co-ordination officer( Investigation/intelligence/general policing) 
			   Adviser to Operational planning unit 
			   Adviser to investigations-Border police 
			   Adviser to KPS regional chief of admin and support 
			   Adviser to police investigations-mobile patrol-station 
			   Adviser to KPS ops dept station 
			   Adviser to inter-ethnic crime investigations 
			   Adviser to Ops dept station 
			   Public order officer 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Surveillance investigations officer 
			   Adviser to KPS Ops 
			   Investigator of the FIU 
			   Adviser to KPS K9 unit 
			   Intelligence officer, SLU, OIC 
			   Border monitor gate 1 and 31 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Community policing Adviser 
			   Adviser to KPS OPS dept Stn 
			   OCI analyst 
			   Investigator to FIU 
			   WSU safe place Dep team leader 
			   Adviser to regional crime squad 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Adviser to immigration unit Pristina airport 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Station Police officer 
			   OIC desk officer/ office manager 
			   Adviser to KPS Ops station 
			   Station Police officer 
			   WSU safe place security officer 
			  18 civilians Deputy Chief Programme Manager 
			   Senior Security Information Analyst 
			   Deputy Head of EULEX Mission 
			   Anti-Corruption Expert 
			   Chief Reporting Officer 
			   Policy Officer 
			   Legal Adviser 
			   Public Outreach Officer 
			   Legal Officer - District Court 
			   Police Liaison Officer (based in Brussels) 
			   Court Recorder 
			   Court Recorder 
			   Criminal Judge, District Court Level 
			   Programme Manager 
			   Customs Law Enforcement Adviser 
			   Court Recorder 
			   Secretary to the Head of Mission 
			   Prosecutor 
			
			 ICO KOSOVO 3 civilians Head of the Press and Public Information Unit/Director of Communications 
			   Field Presence Co-ordinator 
			   Head of the ICO Presence in Mitrovica 
			
			 EUPT KOSOVO 1 civilian Political Adviser 
			
			 EUSR KOSOVO - based in Brussels 1 civilian EU Co-ordinator/Political Adviser to the European Union Special Representative 
			
			 UNAMID SUDAN 3 police Training co-ordinator 
			   Policing Adviser 
			   Training Adviser 
			
			 SUDAN AMIS 1 civilian UN Military Observer 
			
			 EUMM Georgia 10 police Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			  12 civilians Chief of Security 
			   Chief Press and Media 
			   Deputy Head Operations/Military Adviser 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			
			 EUBAM RAFAH 1 police Deputy Chief of operations 
			  1 civilian Reporting and Analysis Officer 
			
			 EUSEC DRCongo 1 civilian Head of Admin and Logistic Cell 
			
			 EUBAM MOLDOVA 2 civilian Deputy Head of Field Office 
			   Border Guard Officer 
			
			 EU South Caucasus based in Brussels 1 civilian Political Adviser 
			
			 OSCE Bosnia 2 civilians Senior Adviser, Education 
			   Director of Democratisation 
			
			 OSCE Austria 1 civilian Senior Border Adviser 
			
			 OSCE Serbia 3 civilians Municipal Coordinator, Pol Affairs 
			   Community Policing Adviser 
			   Head of Strategic Development 
			
			 OSCE Macedonia 5 civilians Head of Media Development 
			   Field Station Coordinator, Tetevo 
			   Head of Public Admin Reform 
			   Police Training 
			   Head of Police Development 
			
			 OSCE Kosovo 2 civilians Public Safety Trainer (Police) 
			   Head of OSCE Field Office 
			
			 OSCE Albania 4 civilians Deputy Head of Presence 
			   Economic and Environmental Affairs Officer 
			   Political Officer 
			   Field Station Officer 
			
			 OSCE Georgia 3 civilians Spokesperson Press & Public Affairs 
			   Project Co-ordinator 
			   Senior Military Adviser 
			
			 OSCE Nagorno Karabakh 1 civilian Field Assistant 
			
			 OSCE Warsaw 2 civilians Legal Adviser 
			   Rule of Law Officer 
			
			 OSCE Moldova 1 civilian Political-Military Officer 
			
			 OSCE Tajikistan 1 civilian Field Office, Kulyab 
			
			 OSCE Kyrgyzstan 1 civilian Head of Mission

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of people  (a) killed and  (b) wounded during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Given the lack of independent monitoring from the conflict area, we have been unable to verify the conflicting reports of the numbers of people killed and injured in the recent fighting in Sri Lanka. We endorse the EU's call for an independent inquiry into alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, and for those accountable to be brought to justice. We believe this could play an important role in the post-conflict reconciliation process. I refer the right hon. Member to my latest written ministerial statement on Sri Lanka on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 73WS.

St. Helena: Wind Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 560W, on British Overseas Territories: electricity generation, what percentage of St. Helena's electricity requirements is generated through the wind power programme.

Gillian Merron: The wind power programme on St. Helena is the responsibility of St. Helena Government. I understand that in April 2009, 3-4 per cent. of the total energy consumption was being generated through that programme. There are plans in place to increase this percentage by the end of the year.

Sudan: Human Rights

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Sudan.

Gillian Merron: The human rights situation in Sudan is of grave and ongoing concern. Arbitrary arrests and detention, sexual violence against women, large-scale recruitment and use of children in armed forces and general impunity for such violations, together with restrictions that unduly limit the freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of movement, are our most serious concerns.
	The civilian population is suffering gravely from the protracted conflict in Darfur. The recent expulsion of international humanitarian aid workers exacerbates the already precarious situation for civilians.
	The serious human rights situation on the ground warrants maintained international human rights focus on Sudan, in particular as the country is preparing for national elections to be held next year, as part of the crucial implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Tibet

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials from the British Embassy in Beijing next plan to visit Tibet.

Bill Rammell: Officials from our embassy in Beijing were able to visit the Tibet Autonomous Region in May 2009. They met representatives of the regional government, Lhasa Municipal government, the Regional People's Congress, and representatives of non-governmental organisations working there. They were also able to observe daily life and visit a monastery to assess the situation there. I intend to visit Tibet shortly.

Treaty of Rome

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the EU budget was of events marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome; what such events took place in the UK; and at what cost.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held by the Government. Requests for this information should be made to the UK Representations of the European Commission and the European Parliament.
	On events in the UK, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman on 19 April 2007,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA91, which provided information on the Government's activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Criminal Justice and Policing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in the devolution of responsibility for criminal justice and policing to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Shaun Woodward: Good progress continues to be made to implement the route map set out by the First and Deputy First Ministers in November 2008. With the Northern Ireland Act 2009 on the statute book, we have put the necessary framework in place to enable the Assembly to complete that process.

Fuel Smuggling

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect on the local economy of fuel smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Fuel fraud, like all other forms of criminal activity, has an adverse impact on the economy. Dealing with this issue remains a priority for me and all members of the Organised Crime Task Force.
	In the past year over 800,000 litres of illegal fuel have been seized.

Saville Inquiry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects Lord Saville to report the conclusions of his inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Lord Saville wrote to me in January stating that it is still his intention to submit his report to me in the autumn of this year. I have had no indication from Lord Saville that there will be any further delays.

Northern Ireland Executive: Funding

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on mechanisms for central Government funding for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Shaun Woodward: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on a wide range of issues. This Government believe that the current arrangements deliver stable and transparent settlements which permit the Northern Ireland Executive to direct spending towards local priorities and needs.

Police Detection Rates

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on police detection rates.

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable reports to the Northern Ireland Policing Board directly on clearance rates. The Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to improving clearance rates through intelligence-led community policing. The clearance rate in Northern Ireland for 2008-09 was 23 per cent., an increase of 2.5 percentage points on the previous year.

Dissident Republicans

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of levels of activity of dissident republicans in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of levels of activity of dissident republicans in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of levels of activity of dissident republicans in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The 21st IMC Report indicated that dissident republicans remain active and dangerous. Their objective is to destroy the peace process and drag Northern Ireland back to the past. It is the clear will of the people of Northern Ireland that they will not be allowed to succeed.

Press Freedom

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of levels of press freedom in Northern Ireland.

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of levels of press freedom in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: A free and independent press is one of the cornerstones of democracy in Northern Ireland as it is throughout the United Kingdom.

Terrorism

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to protect members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland from terrorist attacks.

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable and I take extremely seriously the threat to police officers. A range of measures are in place to enhance the personal security of officers and they are kept under review.

Political Institutions

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of progress in the development of political institutions in Northern Ireland since the date of the St. Andrews agreement.

Shaun Woodward: Last month saw the second anniversary of the restoration of devolution. In that time the political institutions in Northern Ireland have continued to develop and make remarkable progress as its politicians demonstrate their commitment to making the institutions work in the best interests of all the people of Northern Ireland.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision his Department has made for interpretation services for foreign national prisoners in 2008 and 2009 to date; and with reference to the answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 765W, on prisoners: foreigners, what expenditure his Department has incurred on the provision of such services in each month since January 2008.

Paul Goggins: In November 2007, the Northern Ireland Prison Service awarded contracts for face-to-face interpreting and written translation for foreign national prisoners. A telephone interpreting service is also available.
	The following table shows the expenditure on language services in each month since January 2008:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Written translation  Face-to- face interpreting  Telephone interpreting  Total 
			  2008 
			 January 2,488.30 — — 2,488.30 
			 February — — — — 
			 March 3,872.90 — 10.58 3,883.48 
			 April 9,222.41 — — 9,222.41 
			 May 4,455.50 931.82 — 5,387.32 
			 June 6,438.25 — — 6,438.25 
			 July 247.22 1,052.72 — 1,299.94 
			 August 1,781.08 — — 1,781.08 
			 September 2,977.81 992.74 — 3,970.55 
			 October 661.98 3,207.77 — 3,869.75 
			 November 6,671.79 4,813.91 — 11,485.70 
			 December 330.00 5,279.14 — 5,609.14 
			  
			  2009 
			 January 250.00 — 373.64 623.64 
			 February — 2,173.31 695.18 2,868.49 
			 March 196.35 80.38 500.25 776.98 
			 April 3,636.68 — 683.10 4,319.78 
			 May — 9,141.06 622.73 9,763.79 
			  
			 Total 43,230.27 27,672.85 2,885.48 73,788.60

State Visits: Republic of Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of each visit to Northern Ireland by the President of the Irish Republic in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: As with all VIP visits, the cost to the public purse has not been calculated. To supply such figures could be done only at disproportionate cost.

JUSTICE

Arrest Warrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what implications there are for his Department of proposed changes under Council Framework Decision 2009/299/JHA to trial absences before the issue of a European arrest warrant.

Maria Eagle: The UK welcomes this framework decision, since it will ensure that there is consistency and clarity throughout Europe regarding the circumstances in which a European arrest warrant should be executed, where the person has been tried in their absence. It will not require us to change our law regarding when a trial may proceed in a person's absence. In operational terms, when it has come into force we will need to ensure that our authorities are using the revised European arrest warrant form. This will be picked up in the implementation phase of the framework decision when this Department will work alongside colleagues in the Home Office and others, including the judiciary and devolved Administrations on detailed aspects of implementation.
	I do not believe that the Council framework decision on trials in absentia will have significant implications for my Department. It will ensure that our authorities can be satisfied that a person is only being sent back to another MS following a trial in their absence in appropriate circumstances.

Bail Accommodation and Support Service: Billericay

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans ClearSprings Management Ltd has to operate a Bail Accommodation and Support Service property in Billericay constituency.

David Hanson: The East of England Director of Offender Management has identified a need for a further three bed spaces for this service in Essex to allow defendants and offenders on Home Detention Curfew requiring accommodation in Essex to return to their home area. Should ClearSprings acquire a property for this service in the hon. Member's constituency of Billericay I will write and advise him.

Departmental Art Works

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on artwork since November 2008.

Jack Straw: Since November 2008 there has been no expenditure on artwork incurred by the Ministry of Justice HQ, the Office of the Public Guardian, or the National Offender Management Service.
	Artwork expenditure is not a separately identifiable category for HM Courts Service and the Tribunals Service. However, neither agency has commissioned any new artwork since November 2008.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) was formed in 2007. To collate such data for the Ministry's predecessor Departments and their agencies would incur disproportionate costs. Data from this date onwards are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Dismissals for under-performance  Total dismissals  Number of MOJ employees 
			 2007-08 18 533 78,789 
			 2008-09 27 481 81,402

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers since its inception.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice does not record information centrally at a level of detail that would allow for the specific identification of advertising expenditure in weekly and local newspapers. Such information is held locally by courts, prisons and probation boards throughout England and Wales and could be collated only at disproportionate cost. The vast majority of advertising expenditure incurred by the Ministry, however, relates to staff recruitment.

Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what definition his Department uses of  (a) a private estate and  (b) a statutory perpetual trust in relation to the status of the Duchies of (i) Cornwall and (ii) Lancaster;
	(2)  whether estates other than the Duchy of Cornwall receive bona vacantia properties.

Bridget Prentice: In England and Wales, property which is bona vacantia is ownerless property that passes to the Crown by law. It devolves to the Crown, the Duchy of Cornwall or the Duchy of Lancaster depending on where the last private owner was domiciled when they died or in the case of a dissolved company where the registered office and the asset were located. It is administered by the Treasury Solicitor on behalf of the Crown and by the solicitors acting on behalf of the Duchy of Cornwall or Lancaster respectively.
	In general terms, the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster are private estates in that they belong to the heir apparent and the monarch respectively in their private capacities. The term "private estates" is, however, defined in several statutes including the Crown Private Estates Acts 1800, 1862 and 1873 and the Crown Lands Act 1823. The meaning of the term in this context is governed by the relevant statute.
	I am not aware that my Department has used the term "statutory perpetual trust" to define the status of the Duchies. Nor is the term used in statute to describe them.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Michael Wills: Euro Ministers are responsible for Euro preparations in their Department and attend Euro Ministers' Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover. The Government's policy towards membership of the single currency has not changed.

Legal Aid

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of local government expenditure of his decision to reduce the budget for family legal aid.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 20 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 1445-1446W. We have not reduced the family legal aid budget. The consultation document, 'Family Legal Aid Funding from 2010', published by my Department and the Legal Services Commission, set out proposals aimed at maintaining legal aid expenditure at 2007-08 levels. The LSC and MOJ have discussed these proposals with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Local Government Association. The LSC has also received responses from a number of councils, which are being considered along with all the other responses received. We do not believe that these proposals would have a material impact on local government expenditure, and a full impact assessment will be published alongside the final proposals.

Parole

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many offenders had their parole revoked in the latest year for which figures are available; and what the length of time between revocation and reception into prison was in each such case;
	(2)  what the average length of time between revocation of parole and reception into prison was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: We are currently collating information in this area and will publish that information shortly. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Prison Accommodation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new prison places were provided in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009 to date.

David Hanson: 2,501 new prison places were provided in 2008 in England and Wales. To date in 2009 a further 522 new places have been delivered.
	Figures include new build places and those provided through conversions of existing buildings to accommodation use. Places provided through other measures such as cell reclaims are excluded.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) British and  (b) foreign national prisoners committed acts of self-harm in prison in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of self-harm incidents in prisons in England and Wales were committed by  (a) foreign national prisoners and  (b) foreign national prisoners held beyond the expiration of their sentence in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The National Offender Management Service, (NOMS), has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of Prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures, a prisoner-focused care planning system for those at risk, which has helped prisons manage self-harm. Most self-harm is not directly life-threatening, but nevertheless can be extremely distressing for those who have to deal with it. There are no easy answers to preventing self-harming behaviour but we remain committed to finding ways to manage it.
	Information on the total numbers of self-harm incidents is not available for the full time period requested (see table note). The following table details the estimated number of individuals who self-harmed from 2004 by type of nationality.
	
		
			  Nationality type  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 EEA—foreign nationals 117 147 163 196 187 
			 Non-EEA—foreign nationals 351 348 413 428 418 
			 UK nationals 4,580 4,982 5,062 5,178 5,458 
			 Unknown 28 22 21 26 25 
		
	
	We do not specifically record whether foreign national prisoners died beyond the date that their sentence was due to expire. The numbers and proportions of self-harm incidents committed by foreign national prisoners in each of the last five years are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Nationality type  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 EEA—foreign nationals 352 2 373 2 397 2 664 3 409 2 
			 Non-EEA—foreign nationals 587 3 584 3 796 4 780 4 810 4 
			 Unknown 52 0 47 0 80 0 65 0 58 0 
			 No. = incidents  Notes: 1. The NOMS incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. A new system for recording self-harm was introduced in December 2002 and as a result recording improved throughout 2003. Numbers since 2004 are, therefore, not comparable with those collected previously. 2. Figures are approximate numbers of individuals, based on incidents of self-harm where the prisoner number was recorded. 3. The data are drawn from the prison administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Nevertheless, the system provides a sensible indication of the numbers of incidents and individuals who self-harm but the numbers should not be treated as absolute. 4. Self-harm incidents are as reported on the NOMS incident reporting system. Due to transition between computer systems the numbers currently exclude a small proportion collected on the new NOMIS system..

Prisons: Dagenham

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of assessing bids for the construction contract for Beam Park West prison.

Jack Straw: It is intended that the new prison at Beam Park West will be designed built and operated by the private or third sector. Therefore the evaluation of bidders' proposals will include evaluation of proposals for both the construction of the prison and the operation of the prison. The administrative costs to manage the whole procurement process, including the evaluation of bids, are included in the overall budget estimate for the new prisons but have not been broken out specifically into separate evaluation elements.

Prisons: Dagenham

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average weekly number of vehicles which will require access to and from the Beam Park West site once the proposed prison is operating at capacity.

Jack Straw: No assessment of this has yet been made. However, as required by the local planning authority, an environmental impact assessment will be undertaken and submitted as part of the planning application.

Prisons: Greater London

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) meetings he has held with and  (b) representations he has received from the Mayor of London on possible sites for new prisons within London.

Jack Straw: As part of an exercise to identify potential sites for a prison in London, officials from the Ministry of Justice met the current Mayor in mid-2008 to discuss possible prison sites. Prior to this, a meeting was held in autumn 2007 with the former Mayor.
	In addition, I spoke to the Mayor on 27 April 2009, the day of announcement of the site at Beam Park West to Parliament.

Probation Officers

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps are being taken to ensure that sufficient probation officers are trained over the next two years.

David Hanson: Five hundred and fifty probation officers graduate from their diploma course in autumn 2009 and 300 will graduate in autumn 2010. This is sufficient to meet expected vacancies for probation officers over the next two years. I intend to publish shortly a consultation on a new framework for qualifications' training and career progression for probation practitioners which will be in place from April 2010.

Repossession Orders: Reading, Berkshire

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in Reading, East constituency in each month of the last 10 years.

Bridget Prentice: Figures for Reading, East constituency are not available. However, the tables show the number of mortgage and landlord possession orders made in Reading county court for each month from 1999.
	These figures do not indicate how many homes have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made while not all court orders result in repossession.
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, geographical boundaries of county courts may not necessarily be consistent with other administrative or constituency boundaries. Repossession orders made at Reading county court may therefore relate to properties in other constituencies besides Reading, East constituency.
	The Ministry of Justice has published a consultation note on proposed changes in the National Statistics on mortgage and landlord possession actions in the county courts of England and Wales. One of the proposed changes is to publish these statistics by local authority area, based on the physical locations of the properties which are the subject of the possession actions, as part of the regular statistical publication from 2009 quarter 2.
	Further information can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/stats-mort-landlord-note.pdf
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1 ) possession orders made( 2,3)  in Reading county court by each month, 1999-2009 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 4) 
			 January 48 6 31 18 23 3 41 85 56 46 41 
			 February 28 32 7 22 12 66 19 43 32 56 (5)30 
			 March 32 16 27 17 27 38 58 51 42 55 (5)30 
			 April 20 25 20 37 8 25 37 46 39 63 — 
			 May 13 28 29 8 55 12 37 37 50 69 — 
			 June 25 38 21 20 25 24 46 26 41 50 — 
			 July 13 9 34 27 24 38 42 43 51 67 — 
			 August 10 16 34 9 2 38 79 56 42 64 — 
			 September 39 34 27 30 70 34 71 84 60 78 — 
			 October 0 42 0 24 29 16 39 40 44 67 — 
			 November 38 15 11 11 2 36 46 64 39 43 — 
			 December 29 20 13 14 59 49 19 53 28 42 — 
			 Total 295 281 254 237 336 379 534 628 524 700 41 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of landlord( 6)  possession orders made( 2,3)  in Reading county court by each month, 1999-2009 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  20Q3  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 4) 
			 January 51 77 71 74 46 58 70 79 76 77 67 
			 February 61 54 44 37 41 50 47 66 67 70 80 
			 March 55 71 66 56 57 64 82 53 68 55 96 
			 April 52 77 45 53 68 51 61 49 38 97 — 
			 May 64 92 39 58 91 49 54 51 47 51 — 
			 June 66 86 33 40 35 51 28 37 67 62 — 
			 July 67 77 64 89 49 34 94 59 56 70 — 
			 August 52 69 32 54 65 71 44 70 63 35 — 
			 September 80 106 57 76 85 71 42 63 64 70 — 
			 October 26 95 47 57 40 39 56 58 66 77 — 
			 November 113 48 62 68 47 44 65 61 60 54 — 
			 December 53 42 31 49 53 74 59 45 57 75 — 
			 Total 740 894 591 711 677 656 702 691 729 793 243 
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (3) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (4) Figures for the latest quarter (January-March 2009) are provisional. And figures for quarter 2 (April-June) are yet to be released by Ministry of Justice as National Statistics. (5) The Mortgage Pre Action Protocol for possession claims relating to mortgage or home purchase arrears was introduced on 19 November 2008. Its introduction has coincided with a substantial fall in the number of new mortgage possession claims in 2008 quarter 4 and subsequently In the number of mortgage possession orders in 2009 quarter 1. (6 )The landlord data include all types of landlords whether social or private sector, and cover orders made using both the standard and accelerated possession procedures. The accelerated procedure is used by landlords in relation to shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. It enables orders to be made by the court solely on the basis of written evidence and without calling the parties to hearings.  Source: Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persistent young offenders there are in each criminal justice area.

Jack Straw: A persistent young offender (PYO) is a young person aged 10 to 17 who has been sentenced guilty by any criminal court in the UK on three or more separate occasions for one or more recordable offence, and within three years of the last sentencing occasion is subsequently arrested or has an information laid against them for a further recordable offence.
	This definition is designed to measure the speed and efficiency of the youth justice system, through monitoring the pledge to halve the average time from arrest to sentence for dealing with PYOs in England and Wales from 142 days in 1996 to 71 days. However, the definition is not designed to provide a reliable measure of the level of youth offending over time, and it will give a misleading picture of the true trend if used for this purpose.
	The above pledge was first met over a full calendar year in 2002 and has been met in all but one calendar year since then. Youth sentencing is therefore now more timely, and for repeat offenders more frequent, than it used to be prior to 1997. As the PYO definition relies on repeat sentencing occasions, a side-effect of the Government's success in bringing much swifter justice to young repeat offenders is that more of them end up being defined as PYOs.
	The table shows the number of individual PYOs sentenced in 2008, for each police force area.
	On 10 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 58-59WS, I announced in a written ministerial statement that the PYO pledge would be dropped with effect from the end of 2008. This is therefore the last year for which PYO statistics will be published and compiled.
	
		
			  Number of persistent young offenders (PYOs) sentenced in 2008, by police force area 
			  Police force area  Number of persistent young offenders 
			 Avon and Somerset 394 
			 Bedfordshire 110 
			 Cambridgeshire 191 
			 Cheshire 242 
			 Cleveland 304 
			 Cumbria 240 
			 Derbyshire 296 
			 Devon and Cornwall 335 
			 Dorset 143 
			 Durham 259 
			 Dyfed-Powys 134 
			 Essex 397 
			 Gloucestershire 164 
			 Greater Manchester 1,158 
			 Gwent 173 
			 Hampshire 676 
			 Hertfordshire 188 
			 Humberside 365 
			 Kent 354 
			 Lancashire 617 
			 Leicestershire 232 
			 Lincolnshire 106 
			 Merseyside 471 
			 Metropolitan 1,849 
			 Norfolk 157 
			 North Wales 203 
			 North Yorkshire 250 
			 Northamptonshire 160 
			 Northumbria 826 
			 Nottinghamshire 331 
			 South Wales 355 
			 South Yorkshire 388 
			 Staffordshire 268 
			 Suffolk 208 
			 Surrey 120 
			 Sussex 362 
			 Thames Valley 428 
			 Warwickshire 117 
			 West Mercia 312 
			 West Midlands 715 
			 West Yorkshire 875 
			 Wiltshire 111 
			   
			 England and Wales(1) 15,819 
			 (1) The England and Wales total figure includes British Transport Police.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department's contract with Atos Healthcare is expected to expire.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions contract with Atos Healthcare commenced on 1 September 2005 and is due to expire on 31 August 2012. The Department also has options to extend for a further five years up to 31 August 2017.

Children: Maintenance

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child maintenance cases are unable to be processed due to technical faults with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's computer systems; how many cases have been so affected in each of the last five years; and what the  (a) longest and  (b) average delay in processing claims due to computer system failures was in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (ii) Cambridgeshire, (iii) the East of England and (iv) the North West and Wales in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child maintenance cases are currently unable to be processed due to technical faults with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's computer systems; how many cases have been so affected in each of the last five years; and what the (a) longest and (b) average delay in processing claims due to computer system failures was in (i) North West Cambridgeshire (ii) Cambridgeshire (iii) the East of England and (iv) North West England and Wales in each of the last five years.
	Technical faults with the Child Support Agency's computer systems result in cases being progressed clerically rather than not being processed. The Commission routinely publishes information on the number of cases which are processed clerically. This information is not available at regional level, and the latest national figures are available in Table 20 of the Child Support Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics; a copy of which is available in the House of Commons library, or online at:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/publications/statistics.html
	The number of cases the Agency managed clerically at a national level at 31 March 2009 was 60,000, which is less than 5% of the total caseload. Although the need to progress such claims clerically is not ideal, around £1 million in child maintenance is now collected each week for these cases.
	The growth in the number of cases progressed clerically in the last six months is primarily a result of an upgrade to the Agency's computer system in September 2008 which allowed the Agency to identify cases previously stuck and take action to progress them clerically. Information about any delays in processing individual claims clerically due to technical or other problems with the computer system is not available.
	I am sorry on this occasion I could not be more helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was owed in arrears of child maintenance payments in each quarter of each of the last two years; what recent progress has been made towards the payment of such arrears; what priority the payment of such arrears has in the work programme of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission; whether such targets have been set for the reductions of levels of such arrears; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 12 May 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was owed in arrears of child maintenance payments in each quarter of each of the last two years; what recent progress has been made towards the payment of such arrears; what priority the payment of such arrears has in the work programme of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission; whether such targets have been set for the reductions of levels of such arrears; and if he will make a statement.
	Information on the amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non-resident parents is routinely published in both the Child Support Agency Annual Report and Accounts and the Quarterly Summary of Statistics, both of which provide the latest audited estimate of child maintenance arrears to the end of March 2008. This information by quarter is set out in the attached table. The Commission's latest estimate on the amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non-resident parents in each quarter of the last year to March 2009 is also set out in the attached table. The table also includes the amount of child maintenance collected and arranged for each quarter from March 07 to March 09. This estimate is based on the Commission's internal analysis and is subject to year end audit. The fully audited estimate will be published in the Child Support Agency Annual Report and Accounts 2009, currently expected to be published in July.
	Collection of maintenance including arrears remains a priority for the Child Support Agency and its targets for the current year include the collection of £1135 million of which £170 million should be arrears. It is the total collected, rather than the separate amounts of current maintenance and arrears which affects movements in the total arrears outstanding, and there is no separate target to reduce the total. The Child Support Agency has made significant progress in the amount of maintenance collected over the period of its Operational Improvement Plan and as a result the rate at which arrears has grown has slowed dramatically from £23 million per month in 2004/5 to less than £2 million per month in per month in 2008/9 (based on un-audited figures).
	However the current amount of arrears owed by non-resident parents is the cumulative total of sixteen years of maintenance owed and new arrears will continue to accrue as it is not possible to achieve total compliance.
	
		
			  Child maintenance arrears and maintenance collected and arranged including arrears each quarter from March 2007 to March 2009. 
			  Child maintenance arrears  Overall maintenance collected and arranged including arrears (rolling 12 Months) 
			  Quarter ending  Arrears (£ billion)  12 months ending  Total maintenance collected (£ million)  Of which arrears (£ million) 
			 March 2007 3.69 March 2007 898 91 
			 June 2007 3.73 June 2007 916 97 
			 September 2007 3.76 September 2007 942 106 
			 December 2007 3.79 December 2007 975 116 
			 March 2008 3.81 March 2008 1,010 126 
			  
			 June 2008(1) 3.82 June 2008 1,050 138 
			 September 2008(1) 3.83 September 2008 1,088 149 
			 December 2008(1) 3.84 December 2008 1,112 156 
			 March 2009(1) 3.83 March 2009 1,132 158 
			 (1 )Figures up to and including March 2008 have been audited. Figures after this date are yet to be audited and signed off.  Note: The total debt outstanding is cumulative total of all debt accrued since the launch of the Child Support Agency in 1993.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents who owed child maintenance  (a) received prison sentences,  (b) received suspended prison sentences,  (c) had their driving licences removed and  (d) had their houses or other assets sequestered in the last year for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 12 May 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents who owed child maintenance (a) received prison sentences, (b) received suspended prison sentences, (c) had their driving licences removed and (d) had their houses or other assets sequestered in the last year for which figures are available. 274723
	In the 12 months to the end of January 2009, 30 non-resident parents received prison sentences, 510 received suspended prison sentences, 30 non-resident parents received suspended driving licence disqualification and 5 were disqualified from driving. In the same period the Child Support Agency referred 106 cases for Order for Sale action of which 45 hearings have concluded, with 27 orders being granted and a further 29 awaiting a hearing. The Agency took possession of 3 properties and in a further 14 cases are awaiting payment prior to possession being taken.
	The Child Support Agency has also increased the number of enforcement actions targeted at assets including capital, available to non-resident parents. A total of 18,320 cases were referred to Bailiffs (including 'attachments' in Scotland) who can seize assets to recover debt. A total of 5,785, third party debt orders or arrestments in Scotland as well as charging orders were taken out enabling the Child Support Agency to access funds held by third parties such as banks or building societies, or to place a charge on the equity in property. Finally in Scotland alone 1,760 Bills of Inhibition were taken out, this is a personal prohibition preventing heritable property being transferred, alienated or disposed of by the non-resident parent.
	Table 21 of the March 2009 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS) gives information on the total volume of different enforcement actions undertaken by the Agency. The QSS is available in the House of Commons library or online at:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/publications/statistics.html
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much debt is owed to the Child Support Agency.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	.
	Information on the amount of child maintenance arrears owed by non-resident parents is routinely published in both the Child Support Agency Annual Report and Accounts and the Quarterly Summary of Statistics, both of which provide the latest audited estimate of child maintenance arrears to the end of March 2008.
	As at March 2009, the amount of Child Maintenance Arrears owed by non-resident parents to parents with care or the Secretary of State is £3.8 billion. This figure is un-audited.
	The Agency is collecting more arrears than it has ever done before and in March 2009 collected £13.8 million in maintenance arrears alone. A total of £158m has been collected in arrears in the year ending March 2009, an increase of £31.7m from the previous 12 months.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department's potential gross  (a) costs and  (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The high level review, undertaken by the Met Office and delivered in January 2008, of the impacts of climate on the policies and operations of DWP did not seek to identify any costs or savings associated with adaptation. The more detailed review, which will be commissioned when the 2009 UK Climate Impact Projections are published, will further explore the key business, customer and operational issues and begin to estimate the costs and savings associated with climate change and adaptation.

Council Tax Benefits

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 107W, on council tax benefits, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of altering personal allowances for council tax benefit to provide for households where no individual earns more than £10,000 per annum, including personal tax allowance, to receive full council tax benefit, regardless of the amount of capital held; and if he will make an estimate of the number of households which would pay a reduced rate or no council tax as a result of such a change.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 20 May 2009
	The following table shows the estimated cost and number of council tax benefit (CTB) beneficiaries if full CTB was awarded to all households where no individual earns more than £10,000 per annum, regardless of the amount of capital held.
	
		
			  Full CTB if no individual earns more than £10,000 
			   Number of beneficiaries  Cost in annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) 
			 Pensioners 1,500,000 1,350 
			 Working age 1,100,000 800 
			 Total 2,610,000 2,140 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are for Great Britain. 2. Beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and costs are rounded to the nearest £10 million. These estimates include customers who gain and those who become entitled to the benefit. 3. Each beneficiary represents a benefit unit, which can be a single claimant or a couple. 4. The impact is estimated using the Department's Policy Simulation Model for 2008-09, using data from the 2006-07 Family Resources Survey up-rated to 2008-09 prices, benefit rates and earnings levels, and is calibrated to latest published forecasts and policies. 5. Results are subject to sampling and reporting errors and estimation assumptions, and are therefore indicative only. No behavioural changes are assumed.

Departmental Hotels

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on hotel accommodation for officials in  (a) the last 12 months and  (b) each of the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: The Department has in place policies that ensure when any officials are required, as a result of their duties, to stay in hotels they are provided with accommodation that is safe, secure and of an acceptable standard.
	The table shows the Department's expenditure on hotel accommodation for officials in each of the last three years. The figures need to be seen against the background of a Department with over 100,000 staff whose responsibilities cover the whole of Great Britain.
	
		
			  Hotel spend  £ million 
			 1 April 2008-31 March 2009 12.3 
			 1 April 2007-31 March 2008 11.6 
			 1 June 2006-31 March 2007 9.7 
		
	
	Detailed data are only available since June 2006. The figures shown for 2006-07 therefore cover an eight-month period.

Departmental Hotels

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review the level of expenditure by staff of his Department on hotel accommodation.

Kitty Ussher: The Department's Commercial Directorate reviews the level of expenditure on hotel accommodation on a monthly basis to ensure best value is being obtained from its contractual arrangements.

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and in order for them to work they must be communicated effectively. However, this has also to be done with cost efficiency in mind and there are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government advertising.
	Much Government advertising aims to alert people to things that can save lives—and we make no apologies for campaigns like this—such as wearing seat belts, not drinking and driving, quitting smoking and what to do in an emergency. We also use our communications work to protect public funds, for example through our work to drive down benefit fraud.
	The other main area of activity is in recruiting people to important frontline services such as in attracting more people to become nurses and police, which are crucial to the public's welfare.
	The channels used for advertising in the media are firstly via the advertising and media buying roster of the Central Office of Information for campaign and editorial requirements and, secondly, via local and national newspapers for recruitment and low value, low complexity adverts on behalf of DWP agencies.
	The spend requested is detailed in the following tables:
	
		
			  Central Office of Information—May 2009 
			  £ 
			   Type  
			  April to March each year  Dailies  Weeklies  Total 
			 2004-05 2,106,570 2,036,635 4,143,205 
			 2005-06 1,178,870 1,287,684 2,466,554 
			 2006-07 697,279 548,869 1,246,148 
			 2007-08 1,012,708 1,188,008 2,200,716 
			 2008-09 2,244,547 1,392,521 3,637,068 
			 Total 7,239,974 6,453,717 13,693,691 
			  Note: These data apply to all regional publications and are split by dailies and weeklies. 
		
	
	
		
			  Non-COI advertising 
			  £ 
			   Type  
			  April to March each year  Local  National  Total 
			 2006-07 8,752 4,125 12,877 
			 2007-08 10,515 20,085 30,600 
			 2008-09 24,091 142,338 166,429 
			 Total 43,358 166,548 209,906 
			  Notes: 1. All non-COI advertising is via local and national newspaper publications. 2. Data for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are not available as they were not held centrally at that time. The Department would incur disproportionate cost to try and obtain these data.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is not available in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information that is available is given in the following table. This records items reported as lost or stolen.
	
		
			   BlackBerry devices  Mobile telephones 
			 2005 0 31 
			 2006 0 15 
			 2007 19 14 
			 2008 16 35 
		
	
	Two of the BlackBerry devices reported in 2007 were lost by Ministers. None has been reported as lost by or stolen from Ministers since then.

Disability Living Allowance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed disability living allowance in circumstances where the main disabling condition was recorded as obesity in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have received benefits as a result of obesity in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people have received  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) income support as a result of obesity in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Having a condition of obesity does not confer entitlement to any benefit.
	It is important to note that, where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is currently recorded. In light of this, the information provided cannot be taken as a robust indication of the underlying condition that results in entitlement to incapacity benefits.
	Entitlement to disability living allowance is not dependent on a diagnosis or condition but relies instead on the care and/or mobility needs arising. In the case of someone with obesity, people with this recorded diagnosis may have other underlying physical or mental complications that have caused/exacerbated their obesity.
	Information about the number of people receiving disability living allowance where the main disabling condition is recorded as obesity is not collated centrally at this level of detail.
	For a person to qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, they have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. Entitlement for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the grounds of obesity would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the personal capability assessment.
	The available information for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance is in the table. Some of those people who claim incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance will also claim income support on grounds of incapacity.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants with the medical condition of obesity in Great Britain 
			  As at August each year  All  Obesity 
			 2004 2,817,010 1,780 
			 2005 2,767,740 1,840 
			 2006 2,724,980 1,910 
			 2007 2,683,160 2,010 
			 2008 2,632,000 2,130 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data are for GB and abroad. 3. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 4. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. 5. People claiming incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance may also qualify for income support on grounds of incapacity. 6. From 27 October 2008, employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support for new claims only. information about employment and support allowance is not yet available.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	To qualify for jobseeker's allowance, unemployed people must be available for and actively seeking work. They are also required to enter into a jobseeker's agreement in which they agree the steps they will take to improve their chances of finding employment. Jobseekers generally have to be available immediately for any work and for a minimum of 40 hours each week. Where a person is unable to undertake any work, due to ill health, they will not be entitled to JSA and should claim an alternative benefit.

Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which staff in  (a) his Department and ( b) its agencies are responsible for administering the employers' golden hello scheme announced by his Department on 12 January 2009.

Tony McNulty: Jobcentre Plus employer engagement staff, personal advisers and centralised payment processing teams will be responsible for administering the recruitment subsidy. All financial transactions relating to the recruitment subsidy to employers will be the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions' Shared Services.

Employment Services: Lone Parents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to assist single parents seeking employment during the economic downturn.

Kitty Ussher: From 6 April, lone parents on jobseeker's allowance for six months or more can access an expanded range of work, training and volunteering opportunities. This includes incentives of up to £2,500 for employers to recruit and train unemployed people, consisting of a recruitment subsidy worth £1,000 and, depending on location, access to in-work training worth a further £1,500. Qualifying jobseekers who wish to become self- employed also have access to practical advice and financial support to start a business.
	Longer-term jobseekers will receive help from the flexible new deal which will provide job-search support tailored to the specific needs of the individual and address related barriers to employment. The flexible new deal will be introduced in phase one areas from October 2009.
	Additionally, all single parents in receipt of working-age benefits continue to have immediate access to the new deal for lone parents. This voluntary programme provides access to a specialist personal adviser, in-work benefit advice and a range of other assistance.

Income Support: Mortgages

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the number of people receiving assistance from his Department with the cost of meeting mortgage interest repayments.

Kitty Ussher: The most recent information available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people receiving assistance with mortgage interest in Great Britain, as at November 2008 
			   Number 
			 Income support 76,800 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (income based) 5,500 
			 Pension Credit 110,300 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 2. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. 3. Mortgage interest can only be claimed on income-based jobseeker's allowance.  Source:  Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.

Jobcentre Plus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of Jobcentre offices have reported physical capacity constraints in the last 12 months; and what guidance his Department has issued to jobcentres on physical capacity;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who have not received Jobcentre services as a result of physical capacity constraints in the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many and what proportion of Jobcentre offices have reported physical capacity issues in the last 12 months; and what guidance his Department has issued on capacity problems; and what estimate he has made of the number of people turned away from Jobcentre offices owing to capacity issues in the last 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We are not aware of any Jobcentre offices having to turn people away. To ensure that capacity problems do not arise in the future we are examining service delivery plans, including, where necessary, options for the physical expansion of sites that may face pressure in the short to medium term.
	Jobcentre Plus Customer Service Directors regularly review their service delivery plans to ensure optimum provision, and accessibility, of service for all customers.
	I am confident that the process of regular review of local service delivery plans will ensure that this situation does not arise.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff employed by his Department's agencies other than Jobcentre Plus work in Jobcentre Plus offices; which agencies such staff work for; and for how long he expects such working arrangements to endure.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many staff employed by DWP's agencies other than Jobcentre Plus work in Jobcentre Plus offices; which agencies such staff work for; and for how long we expect such working arrangements to endure. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Up until 31 March 2009, Jobcentre Plus headcount was being supplemented by around 470 full-time equivalents (FTEs) on loan from Pensions, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS), and Debt Management within DWP. The table below sets out the current numbers from 1 April 2009 and when the loan period is planned to end. We also have planned the transfer of around 500 people on a permanent basis from the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission between 1 March and 30 June 2009.
	
		
			  DWP Business area  Number of staff (FTEs)  Date loan period is planned to end 
			 PDCS 21 End of April 2009 
			 Debt Management 300 End of May 2009 
			 DWP shared services 50 End of March 2010 
			 DWP corporate HR 37 End of June 2009 
			 Total 457

Jobseeker's Allowance: Interviews

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average waiting time was for first jobseeker interviews for a claimant for jobseeker's allowance in each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average waiting time was for first jobseeker interviews for a claim for jobseeker's allowance in the latest period for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: Jobcentre Plus does not collect the average waiting time. The available information on the percentage of new jobseeker interviews booked within three days from the date the customer first contacts us is in the table. The data show performance for the operational year ending March 2009 down to district level, the smallest geographical area available.
	
		
			  New jobseeker interviews booked within three days  March 2009 YTD  (percentage) 
			 Derbyshire 69.7 
			 Leicestershire and Northamptonshire 71.5 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland 71.5 
			 Nottinghamshire 64.8 
			  East Midlands 69.5 
			   
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 80.9 
			 Cambridgeshire and Suffolk 73.0 
			 Essex 80.2 
			 Norfolk 72.9 
			  East of England 77.3 
			   
			 Central London 80.7 
			 City and East London 81.8 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth 74.0 
			 North and North East London 84.8 
			 South London 79.6 
			 West London 80.3 
			  London 80.5 
			   
			 Northumbria 73.7 
			 South Tyne and Wear Valley 73.1 
			 Tees Valley 71.9 
			  North East 73.0 
			   
			 Cheshire and Warrington 75.3 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 69.6 
			 Greater Manchester Central 76.0 
			 Greater Manchester East and West 69.6 
			 Merseyside 76.2 
			  North West 72.8 
			   
			 Ayr, Dumfries and Galloway 86.4 
			 Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders 82.6 
			 Forth Valley and Fife 86.6 
			 Glasgow 85.3 
			 Highlands, Islands and Clyde 81.4 
			 Lanarkshire 88.0 
			  Office for Scotland 84.9 
			   
			 North and Mid Wales 82.5 
			 South East Wales 83.9 
			 South Wales Valleys 77.0 
			 South West Wales 84.2 
			  Office for Wales 81.7 
			   
			 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 74.9 
			 Hampshire 75.8 
			 Kent 62.6 
			 Surrey and Sussex 64.0 
			  South East 68.8 
			   
			 Devon and Cornwall 68.2 
			 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 59.3 
			 Somerset and Dorset 73.3 
			 West of England 70.0 
			  South West 67.6 
			   
			 Birmingham and Solihull 65.5 
			 Black Country 72.6 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 60.3 
			 Staffordshire 59.1 
			 The Marches 54.4 
			  West Midlands 63.7 
			   
			 North and East Yorkshire and Humber 79.9 
			 South Yorkshire 69.9 
			 West Yorkshire 75.2 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 75.3 
			   
			 National 74.1 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the changes to the support offered under the income support for mortgage interest scheme which came into effect in January 2009 are applicable to people who were claiming before that date; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The changes introduced to support for mortgage interest from 5 January 2009 apply to working age people who make new claims on or after that date.
	People who claimed income support, employment and support allowance and jobseeker's allowance before 5 January, but who were still in a waiting period for support for mortgage interest on 4 January also benefit from these changes.
	People who were already receiving support for mortgage interest before 5 January were unaffected.
	All customers, existing and new, including those on pension credit, are helped by the freeze to the standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest at 6.08 per cent. until December 2009.

Pensioners: Carers' Benefits

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason women over 60 years old are not eligible to receive adult dependency increase in respect of a husband or civil partner under 65 years old.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 1 June 2009
	Differences have existed in relation to dependency increases of benefit since the inception of the Social Security scheme in 1948, mainly because women were not regarded in general as having to support their husbands who would tend to have their own personal access to national insurance benefits.
	The Pensions Act 2007 abolished these outdated dependency rules for state pensions and from April 2010 no further increases will be awarded with the state pension. By April 2020 any remaining adult dependency payments paid with a state pension will cease completely.

Poverty: Children

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what projection his Department has made of the level of  (a) absolute and  (b) relative child poverty in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and what information his Department holds on the geographical distribution of the increase since 2006-07 in the number of (A) children and (B) adults of working age living in relative poverty after housing costs announced on 7 May 2009.

Kitty Ussher: The information requested is as follows:
	 Child poverty projections
	The Government do not publish official projections of child poverty into the future due to the uncertainty surrounding the assumptions made around future demography, employment and average earnings, as well as the uprating of tax credits and benefits.
	 The geogr aphical distribution of poverty
	This information can be found in the latest release of Households Below Average Income which is available on the DWP website and in the Library. In this, disaggregation by geographical regions is presented as three-year averages. This presentation has been used as single-year regional estimates are considered too volatile. The most recent available data available since 2006/07 are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Risk of living in relative (60 per cent. of median) low income poverty (AHC) for children by region and country (per cent.) three-year average 
			  Region/country  2004-05 to 2006-07  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			 England 30 31 
			
			 North East 33 33 
			 North West 31 34 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 29 30 
			 East Midlands 29 30 
			 West Midlands 33 35 
			 East of England 25 26 
			 London 41 39 
			 South East 25 26 
			 South West 26 27 
			
			 Scotland 25 24 
			 Wales 29 32 
			 Northern Ireland 26 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Risk of living in relative (60 percent of median) low income poverty (AHC) for working age adults by region and country (percent) 3 year average 
			  Region/country  2004-05 to 2006-07  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			 England 20 21 
			
			 North East 22 23 
			 North West 21 22 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 20 21 
			 East Midlands 20 20 
			 West Midlands 22 23 
			 East of England 17 18 
			 London 24 24 
			 South East 16 17 
			 South West 18 18 
			
			 Scotland 18 19 
			 Wales 20 23 
			 Northern Ireland 18 18

Social Security Benefits

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of benefit claimants receiving each type of benefit are aged between 18 and 30 years.

Kitty Ussher: The most recent available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Proportion of benefit recipients aged 18-30 in Great Britain as at November 2008 
			   Percentage 
			 Incapacity Benefit (IB) 13.4 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) 7.3 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) 46.2 
			 Income Support 27.3 
			 Carers Allowance (CA) 11.5 
			 Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 7.9 
			 Bereavement Benefits (BB) 1.5 
			  Note: Proportions are rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 percent WPLS 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of benefit recipients aged 18-30 in Great Britain as at May 2004 
			   Percentage 
			 Council Tax Benefit 11 
			 Housing Benefit (HB) 15 
			  Note: Proportions are rounded to the nearest whole per cent.  Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management information System Annual 1 per cent. sample taken in May 2008

Welfare Reform Bill

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the provision of child care to enable single parents to carry out work-related activity under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The Department works closely with the Department for Children, Schools and Families to ensure the successful delivery of the National Childcare Strategy for England, which aims to ensure that there is sufficient child care available to meet the needs of working families and to support parents who are undertaking work related activities. Key to this are the provisions in the Childcare Act 2006, which includes a duty on local authorities to secure sufficient child care to ensure they meet the need of their local communities, in particular for those on low incomes and who have disabled children.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many bonuses have been awarded to senior civil servants working in the Equality and Human Rights Commission in each year since its inception; and what expenditure was incurred on such bonuses in each year.

Maria Eagle: No bonuses have been awarded to senior civil servants working in the Equality and Human Rights Commission during the period 1 October 2007 to 31 May 2009.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Telephone Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the cost of  (a) recruiting and  (b) training helpline staff in the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been in each year since its creation.

Maria Eagle: The information is as follows:
	 2007-08:
	 (a) £326,228 was spent on recruitment of helpline staff;
	 (b) £211,070 was spent on training of helpline staff.
	 2008-09:
	 (a) No further recruitment took place;
	 (b) £20,000 was spent on training of helpline staff.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Telephone Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether an equality impact assessment on the removal of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's helpline from the Manchester office has been undertaken.

Maria Eagle: Following the announcement of the proposed changes to the helpline in February 2009, the EHRC has been completing an equality impact assessment which will continue to be updated as part of the on-going consultation and decision making process. A full analysis of the equality impact assessments and mitigations will be made available to the senior management team ahead of any decision being taken.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Telephone Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions the Equality and Human Rights Commission had with recognised trades unions on the future of its helpline team in Manchester before deciding to close the team.

Maria Eagle: Since February 2009 the EHRC have been consulting with the trade unions regarding the proposed reorganisation of the helpline. There have been five formal meetings with the recognised trade unions to discuss the proposal. In addition the trade unions have been actively involved in a series of action groups looking at specific elements of the proposal.
	The senior management team are currently considering the points raised during the consultation period by the trade unions and no decision has been made to go ahead with the proposed changes.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Telephone Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many calls have been received by the Equality and Human Rights Commission's helpline in each quarter since its inception.

Maria Eagle: The Equality and Human Rights Commission's helpline has been operational since 1 October 2007. Robust reporting systems were not in place until February 2008. The available call statistics from that date are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of calls received 
			 February to June 2008 28,247 
			 July to September 2008 17,172 
			 October to December 2008 14,924 
			 January to March 2009 22,113

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Foreigners

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 608W, whether his Department has received representation from other governments on the employment of their citizens in the UK armed forces between 2000 and the issue of his Written Ministerial Statement on army nationality policy of 2 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 33-4WS.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence has not received any representation from other Governments on the employment of their citizens in the UK armed forces from 2000 to date.

Armed Forces: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department provides to members of the armed forces who have been invalided out of service; what  (a) discussions he has had and  (b) representations he has received on this issue since 2008; whether he plans to increase the assistance available during the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: We take our responsibilities for those who are medically discharged from the armed forces seriously. For those requiring assistance, MOD provides health care and welfare support in service, but at service termination the primary responsibility passes to the normal civilian agencies. The Department's Veterans Welfare Service is there to provide advice on issues such as entitlement to pensions and compensation under the Department's no-fault schemes. In the case of the severely injured, the welfare service monitors those discharged for a period of at least two years to provide advice should difficulties arises.
	Working together with civilian and third sector agencies, our aim is to achieve a smooth and seamless transition. Those invalided from service are eligible for the MOD's full resettlement package, including support into work where this is appropriate, and automatic configuration of pension. Where the invaliding disorder is due to service, no fault compensation benefits will be assessed and paid, and for the relevant condition the individual will be eligible for NHS priority treatment with additional benefits such as free prescriptions.
	In July 2008 we published the Service Personnel Command Paper, 'The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support for our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans', which outlined the pledges we made to ensure service personnel, their families and veterans are not disadvantaged by the unusual demands of serving in the armed forces and to recognise the sacrifices made by their families and those who have served.
	As Minister for Veterans, I meet regularly with veterans and ex-service organisations. Topics raised since 2008 have included priority treatment, civilian mental health services, a new study being undertaken into British Nuclear Test Veterans and the issues of cultural understanding that can arise for those who have served when they seek help from civilian health professionals. Officials from the MOD, other Government Departments, the devolved Administrations and the charities continue to work together to address all key concerns, communicating existing entitlements to all those involved, and areas where improvements might be made to arrangements for ensuring a seamless transition back into civilian life.

Armed Forces: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department allocated to services for members of the armed forces of each  (a) sex,  (b) regiment,  (c) service and  (d) age cohort invalided out of service in each year since 2003.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) on 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 14W.

Armed Forces: Pay

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the minimum salary is for a junior officer serving in Afghanistan, excluding operational and separation allowances.

Kevan Jones: The minimum annual basic pay for a junior officer serving in Afghanistan including X-factor effective from 1 April 2009 is £24,133.

Departmental Buildings

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military  (a) bases and  (b) other sites owned by his Department containing accommodation areas are (i) redundant and (ii) shortly to become redundant for his Department's purposes.

Kevan Jones: The information requested will take a little time to gather and verify. I will write to the hon. Member with the information that is available as soon as possible.

Departmental Lost Property

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of the replacement of such property.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 12 May 2009
	1,237 cases of theft of MOD property were reported to the Ministry of Defence police and service police during the last 12 months. It is not possible to identify the individual items reported stolen and the cost of replacing them without incurring disproportionate cost.

Harrier Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the GR4 to replace the Harrier GR9/9A in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on 25 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 24-25WS.

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Health and safety is inherent in everything that the MOD does and how our staff, both civilian and service, conduct themselves. We do not separate out such costs associated with compliance with health and safety legislation. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget for helicopter procurement projects has been in each year since 2001.

Quentin Davies: The in-year budgets for all helicopter procurement projects for each year from financial year 2001-02 to 2008-09 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 842 
			 2002-03 524 
			 2003-04 318 
			 2004-05 257 
			 2005-06 260 
			 2006-07 209 
			 2007-08 473 
			 2008-09 448 
		
	
	These figures exclude funding for emergent urgent requirements and some commodity items bought in support of these projects.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to Question 274945, tabled by the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife, on lost and stolen property on 7 May 2009.

Kevan Jones: I replied to the hon. Member today.

Somalia: Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden in each of the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of UK military personnel deployed in the Gulf of Aden over the past 12 months is broken down by month in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of UK Military Personnel 
			 June 2008 880 
			 July 2008 675 
			 August 2008 189 
			 September 2008 872 
			 October 2008 255 
			 November 2008 460 
			 December 2008 367 
			 January 2009 437 
			 February 2009 563 
			 March 2009 442 
			 April 2009 194 
			 May 2009 1,635 
		
	
	The fluctuations in numbers are caused by Royal Naval ships transiting the region as part of an operation or exercise. For example, most recently, the Royal Navy's Taurus 2009 deployment in May 2009.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Association of Chief Police Officers: Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) budgetary support and  (b) other funding her Department has given to the Association of Chief Police Officers in the last 12 months.  [Official Report, 21 July 2009, Vol. 496, c. 9MC.]

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 147W.

Association of Chief Police Officers: Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) for 2009-10; and what the salary of the  (a) President and  (b) Chief Executive of ACPO is.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Asylum: Registration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on the asylum registration card scheme in 2008.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency does not hold centrally figures on the amount spent on the Asylum Registration Card Scheme. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Spain

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants for asylum entered the UK via Spain and Gibraltar in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency does not record statistics in relation to asylum applicants travelling to the UK via Spain and Gibraltar. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual case files.
	Asylum seekers should apply in the first safe country. A safe country is one of which the applicant is not a national or citizen and in which a person's life or liberty is not threatened by reason of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. It is also one from which a person would not be sent to another state in contravention of his rights under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 New York Protocol.
	We are countering asylum "shopping" across the EU through the Dublin Regulation and use of the Eurodac database, which helps us to identify and make returns to the responsible member state. Spain is a party to the Dublin Regulation but Gibraltar is not.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police authority area have received the specialist training necessary to work on child protection.

Alan Campbell: There is a range of specialist training available to police forces for those working in child protection. This includes the 'Specialist Child Abuse Investigators Development Programme' and local multi-agency training in relation to Working Together guidance. The only data held centrally relate to the online element of the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators Development Programme and these are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of staff  who have registered for the on line component of the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators Programme by region and police force. Data as at 20 April 2009 
			  ACPO region  Police force  Number enrolled 
			 Eastern Bedfordshire Police 6 
			  Cambridgeshire Constabulary 39 
			  Essex Police 24 
			  Hertfordshire Constabulary 35 
			  Norfolk Constabulary 9 
			  Suffolk Constabulary 2 
			  Total Eastern 115 
			
			 East Midlands Derbyshire Constabulary 8 
			  Leicestershire Constabulary 18 
			  Lincolnshire Police 4 
			  Northamptonshire Police 5 
			  Nottinghamshire Police 4 
			  Total East Midlands 39 
			
			 London City of London Police 2 
			  Metropolitan Police 162 
			  Total London 164 
			
			 North East Cleveland Police 0 
			  Durham Constabulary 0 
			  Humberside Police 1 
			  Northumbria Police 47 
			  North Yorkshire Police 1 
			  South Yorkshire Police 0 
			  West Yorkshire Police 4 
			  Total North East 53 
			
			 North West Cheshire Constabulary 14 
			  Cumbria Constabulary 33 
			  Greater Manchester Police 35 
			  Lancashire Constabulary 17 
			  Merseyside Police 51 
			  Total North West 150 
			
			 South East Hampshire Constabulary 3 
			  Kent Police 32 
			  Surrey Police 2 
			  Sussex Police 7 
			  Thames Valley Police 4 
			  Total South East 48 
			
			 South West Avon and Somerset Constabulary 64 
			  Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 15 
			  Dorset Police 1 
			  Gloucestershire Constabulary 3 
			  Wiltshire Constabulary 2 
			  Total South West 85 
			
			 West Midlands Staffordshire Police 4 
			  Warwickshire Police 4 
			  West Mercia Constabulary 57 
			  West Midlands Police 97 
			  Total West Midlands 162 
			
			 Wales Dyfed-Powys Police 2 
			  Gwent Police 6 
			  North Wales Police 0 
			  South Wales Police 8 
			  Total Wales 16 
			
			 Other Police Service of Northern Ireland 86 
			  National Policing Improvement Agency 17 
			  Total other 103 
			
			 Total  935 
			  Note: Information about completion rate is not held centrally.

Community Relations: Islam

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the effect on the Muslim community of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy.

Vernon Coaker: My Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly discuss aspects of Contest including how to involve all communities in contributing to its success. Strong and empowered communities are better equipped to effectively reject the ideology of violent extremism, isolate apologists for terrorism and provide support to vulnerable individuals and institutions.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The requested information for the Home Office is set out in the table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 373 
			 2007-08 910 
			 2008-09 2,850 
		
	
	The Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau have not made any payments under the Act, during the last three years.
	The Home Office has signed up to the CBI's prompt payment code and BS 7890, the British Standard for prompt payment.

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The amount spent in the last five years is shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Weekly regional  Daily regional 
			 2004-05 407,708 508,143 
			 2005-06 232,532 339,130 
			 2006-07 438,349 213,866 
			 2007-08 267,772 34,639 
			 2008-09 433,518 497,250

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1079W, on departmental press, whether the magazines, newspapers and other publications subscribed to by her Department were for delivery to the homes of  (a) Ministers,  (b) special advisers or  (c) civil servants.

Phil Woolas: In accordance with the current framework agreements in place the Home Office does not purchase centrally any magazines, newspapers and other publications for delivery to the home addresses of Ministers, special advisers or civil servants. All publications are delivered to the business addresses of the Department, its agencies and NDPBs.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work placements her Department offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The information requested on work placements for school pupils is not recorded centrally in the Home Office or its agencies. Work experience placements are authorised and organised locally by managers in business units.
	The Home Office provides around 30 placements annually to graduates and undergraduates from a minority ethnic background and/or a registered disability, through the civil service fast stream summer placement schemes. They are paid an allowance within the executive officer range.

Deportation

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scheduled deportations were cancelled in 2008.

Phil Woolas: Internal management information, which is unaudited data and is subject to change, indicates that there were around 1,000 occasions in 2008 where there was a need to reschedule removal directions for those who were subject to deportation orders. These data are centrally collated and are not broken down to account for the number of individuals they refer to or the reasons as to why removal directions were rescheduled.
	The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Select Committee in order to provide robust and accurate information on the deportation of foreign national criminals. She has explained that there are several issues which may cause deportation to be rescheduled. For example, there may be occasions when it is administratively cheaper or easier to reschedule a flight or last minute representations and judicial reviews launched by legal representatives or individual's behaviour becomes unmanageably obstructive, including use of 'dirty protests', and when there are last minute documentation issues.
	Much progress has been made to minimise the impact of these issues which is demonstrated in the continued record performance of the agency in deporting or removing foreign national prisoners, where nearly 5,400 were removed in 2008. As confirmed in the UK Border Agency's 2009-10 business plan, it will continue to aim to deport or remove record numbers of foreign criminals in the forthcoming year.

Entry Clearances: EU Nationals

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of other EU member states have been denied access to the UK on the basis of previous criminal convictions in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: From 2006-08, 929 EU Nationals were refused entry at the UK border on grounds relating to the public good.
	The annual breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of EU Nationals refused entry to the UK 
			 2006 186 
			 2007 388 
			 2008 355 
		
	
	This includes, but is not limited to those EU Nationals refused entry due to criminal convictions. This information could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	The data provided is based on locally-collated management information, which may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1293W, on entry clearances: overseas students, whether in circumstances where overseas students pay accommodation and other fees in advance greater than the required monthly minimum, they are required to demonstrate additional funds.

Phil Woolas: Tier 4 applicants are required to demonstrate that they hold sufficient funds to cover both (1) their course fees for their first year of study and (2) to satisfy the maintenance test.
	Where an applicant has paid money towards their course fees and/or accommodation before they submit their application, this money can be offset from the total amount of funds the applicant must demonstrate, provided that they submit the specified evidence.
	Where a migrant has demonstrated that they have paid their full course fees before they submit their application, the applicant will not have to show any further funds for course fees. Equally should the moneys paid to the education provider for accommodation equal or exceed the amount the applicant is required to demonstrate for maintenance, the applicant will not be required to show any further funds for maintenance.
	Where the payments made for either course fees or accommodation fall short of the full amount required, the applicant must demonstrate that they hold sufficient funds to cover the shortfall.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the UK Border Agency based in the UK are partly or wholly responsible for examining student visa applications.

Phil Woolas: Applications from those outside the UK for student visas are considered by UKBA staff in visa sections at the relevant post abroad.
	The only exception is for visa applications made in Algeria which are currently processed in London. This operation has six full time staff based in the UK whose work load includes student applications.

Entry Clearances: Pakistan

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) student visas and  (b) tourist visas have been issued to Pakistani nationals in (i) the last 12 months, (ii) the last five years and (iii) the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: The number of  (a) student visas, and  (b) visit visas issued to Pakistani nationals in (i) 2008 and (ii) the five years 2004-08, is shown in the following table. Reliable data is not held for years prior to 2004.
	
		
			   Calendar years 
			   2008  2004-08 
			 Student visas 9,663 58,783 
			
			  Visit visas   
			 Family 38,272 207,585 
			 Other 38,012 289,380

Human Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many days the Poppy project has had beds which were not being used in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The Poppy project records vacancies on a weekly rather than daily basis. Information from the Poppy project shows that over the last 12 months there was at least one unoccupied bed-space in 36 out of 52 weeks. The vacant periods could have ranged from one night to a week.

Immigration: Marriage

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1831W, on immigration: marriage, whether she has assessed the effect of the change made in 2003 in the probationary period on those seeking settlement on the basis of marriage.

Phil Woolas: It is difficult to isolate the effect of the change in the length of the probationary period from the effects of other factors, including the no-switching provision which was made at the same time. An initial examination of the data shows a significant increase in the percentage of applications refused after the rule change in 2003. The increase in the length of the probationary period is likely to have been one significant factor in the increase.

Immigration: Somalia

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somali nationals were granted entry into the UK in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: The latest available statistics on the number of Somali nationals granted entry to the United Kingdom are for 2005 to 2007 and are given in the table. Data for 2008 are scheduled for publication in August 2009.
	The information shown is based on landing card information and may include the same individuals more than once if they visited the United Kingdom on multiple occasions in the period.
	Statistics on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom by purpose of journey and nationality are published annually in table 2.3 of the Home Office publications "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom" which are available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Somali nationals given leave to enter the United Kingdom, 2005-07 
			  Passengers admitted  Number of journeys 
			 2005 5,610 
			 2006(1) 3,540 
			 2007(2,3) 3,150 
			 (1) Due to some gaps in the data from ports, estimates have been used. (2) May understate due to some administrative records on non-EEA nationals being unavailable for statistical analysis. The explanatory notes and definitions in the "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2007" gives further details. (3) Provisional.  Note: Data rounded to three significant figures.

National DNA Database

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the DNA record of the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham will be removed from the national DNA database.

Alan Campbell: The hon. Member does not have a DNA profile held on the National DNA Database (NDNAD).

Oakington Immigration Removal Centre

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of Oakington Immigration Reception Centre; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The current lease of Oakington from the Housing and Communities Agency, and the planning permission for its use, expire on 30 June 2010.
	We plan to continue to operate Oakington as an immigration removal centre until that date, beyond which our operation is subject to the consent of the landlord and the local council. We are committed to ensuring that the continued operation of Oakington does not delay or otherwise impact upon the proposed Northstowe development.

Official Residences

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 228W, on 62 South Eaton Place, and of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 160W, on official residences, if she will place in the Library a copy of the selling agents' advice which recommended that a home condition report not be purchased.

Phil Woolas: The selling agent has advised that a condition report would be of little relevance as the property is most likely of interest for re-development.
	A redacted copy of the agent's disposal report was placed in the Library on 26 November 2008.

Points of Entry

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many manned points of entry into the UK there are.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency operates at 128 ports in the UK and a further 10 at juxtaposed locations in Belgium and Northern France.
	UKBA maritime assets patrol coastal waters around the UK and also work regularly in support of operations by other law enforcement agencies, to maintain a range of intelligence-led and risk-based controls on all routes of entry to UK.

Police: Absenteeism

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many long-term absentee police officers of each  (a) rank and  (b) sex there were in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information shows the number of long-term absentees as at 31 March each year from 2003 to 2008. It is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of police officers (full-time equivalents) on long-term absence( 1) , by police force area in England and Wales, rank and gender, as at 31 March: 2003-08( 2) 
			  31 March 2003 
			   Male  Female 
			   ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const.  ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const. 
			 Avon and Somerset (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 23 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 11 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 3 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 1 4 20 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 
			 Cheshire (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 10 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 17 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 1 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 1 0 5 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 2 1 4 28 0 0 0 0 1 0 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 7 39 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 3 22 
			 Dorset (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 3 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 3 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 1 2 16 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 
			 Essex (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 5 30 (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— 3 23 
			 Gloucestershire 1 0 1 0 2 2 15 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 3 4 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 3 9 26 224 0 0 0 1 4 7 143 
			 Gwent (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 5 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 1 3 15 49 0 0 0 0 1 3 33 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 1 1 0 2 18 0 0 0 1 0 3 17 
			 Humberside (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 8 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 20 
			 Kent (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 5 10 94 (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 1 4 32 
			 Lancashire (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 2 10 24 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 6 45 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 1 9 29 0 0 0 0 0 2 27 
			 Lincolnshire (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 3 18 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 0 16 
			 London, City of 0 1 0 0 2 1 14 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 
			 Merseyside 0 0 1 1 3 11 117 0 0 0 1 3 4 39 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 0 7 33 128 747 0 0 0 0 4 25 332 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 1 1 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Northumbria (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— 3 5 66 (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— (3)— 6 52 
			 North Wales (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 5 17 71 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 28 
			 North Yorkshire (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 8 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 2 2 19 0 0 0 0 0 3 16 
			 South Yorkshire (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— (3)— 2 8 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 10 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 1 5 84 0 0 0 0 0 5 74 
			 Suffolk (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 15 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— 10 
			 Surrey 0 1 1 7 14 111 470 0 0 0 0 1 29 234 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 1 12 60 0 0 1 0 1 2 52 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 
			 West Mercia (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 2 6 31 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 2 12 
			 West Midlands (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 West Yorkshire (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 1 10 60 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 1 19 
			 Wiltshire (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— 1 4 17 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 7 
		
	
	
		
			  31 March 2004 
			   Male  Female 
			   ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const.  ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const. 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 3 26 170 0 0 0 1 1 0 71 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 2 2 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 4 28 0 0 0 0 0 4 16 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 3 20 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 1 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 1 0 3 28 0 0 0 1 0 3 14 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 2 1 5 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 1 1 7 47 0 0 0 0 1 5 25 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 1 12 55 0 0 0 0 1 4 33 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Dyfed-Powys (3)— 1 (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 5 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 (3)— 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 1 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 1 4 15 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 2 10 21 172 0 0 0 1 5 16 107 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 1 4 32 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 3 13 72 0 0 0 0 1 12 48 
			 Hertfordshire 1 0 0 0 0 1 24 0 0 0 0 2 3 36 
			 Humberside (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 4 13 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 20 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 1 10 57 0 0 0 0 0 5 45 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 1 0 19 0 0 0 0 0 1 22 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 1 0 7 30 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 1 1 0 9 14 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 
			 Merseyside 0 0 1 1 1 4 64 0 0 0 0 2 4 23 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 1 0 5 10 64 401 0 0 0 2 5 24 284 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 1 4 17 0 0 0 1 0 3 16 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 1 6 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 2 13 80 0 0 0 0 0 5 36 
			 North Wales 2 (3)— (3)— 4 13 49 252 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 10 129 
			 North Yorkshire (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 (3)— 1 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 5 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 2 24 99 0 0 1 0 1 3 41 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 2 7 72 0 0 0 0 0 3 44 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 2 7 23 0 0 0 0 0 5 12 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 1 7 29 0 0 0 0 0 5 29 
			 Suffolk (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 1 1 9 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 14 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 1 8 30 0 0 0 0 0 1 22 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 2 15 0 0 0 1 1 5 27 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 2 12 62 0 0 1 0 2 4 58 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 1 4 12 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 1 13 57 0 0 0 0 0 2 34 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 110 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 3 6 61 0 0 1 0 1 4 41 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 
		
	
	
		
			  31 March 2005 
			   Male  Female 
			   ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const.  ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const. 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 1 5 15 0 0 0 0 1 1 24 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 1 0 0 0 3 18 0 0 0 0 1 3 19 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 2 8 46 0 0 0 0 3 1 29 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 6 15 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 2 3 19 0 0 0 0 1 3 15 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 2 1 1 22 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 1 12 40 0 0 0 0 2 6 34 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 2 1 7 27 0 0 0 0 0 3 23 
			 Durham 0 1 0 0 0 6 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 
			 Essex 0 0 0 1 2 2 15 0 0 0 1 0 2 25 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 2 4 15 0 0 0 0 1 0 15 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 2 6 19 187 0 0 0 0 6 12 131 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 1 1 20 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 2 19 77 0 0 0 0 0 15 54 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 26 0 0 0 0 3 2 36 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 3 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 1 2 33 0 0 0 2 0 2 40 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 1 4 45 0 0 0 0 2 3 45 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 1 0 5 12 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 1 1 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Merseyside 0 0 1 0 1 9 72 0 0 0 1 0 0 33 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 1 1 3 11 66 373 0 0 0 2 7 32 291 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 7 36 0 0 0 1 0 1 18 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 1 3 13 0 0 0 0 0 2 18 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 2 8 58 0 0 0 0 0 4 54 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 5 10 72 0 0 0 0 0 8 28 
			 South Wales 0 0 1 0 1 8 64 0 0 0 0 0 2 40 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 5 7 39 0 0 0 0 0 4 25 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 1 6 23 0 0 0 0 1 3 28 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 1 2 13 0 0 0 0 0 3 12 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 3 5 29 0 0 0 0 2 2 31 
			 Sussex 0 1 0 0 5 8 44 0 0 0 1 4 7 36 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 1 0 4 11 71 0 0 1 0 2 2 68 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 1 1 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 2 4 30 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 0 0 0 0 2 6 74 
			 West Yorkshire 0 1 0 0 3 9 120 0 0 0 0 0 8 66 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 1 3 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 
		
	
	—continued
	
		
			  31 March 2006 
			   Male  Female 
			   ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const.  ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const. 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 11 33 231 0 0 0 2 5 5 88 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 0 0 0 0 0 1 25 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 3 1 11 0 0 0 1 0 3 28 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 1 12 42 0 0 0 0 2 3 38 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 1 1 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 4 5 28 0 0 0 0 1 4 31 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 1 3 4 27 0 0 0 0 1 2 24 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 1 7 54 0 0 0 0 1 4 47 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 2 1 5 28 0 0 0 0 1 6 16 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 1 3 32 0 0 0 0 1 0 14 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 2 1 12 0 0 0 1 0 8 19 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 1 4 18 0 0 0 0 1 2 13 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 1 6 11 123 0 0 0 1 7 13 113 
			 Gwent 0 0 1 0 0 4 26 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 5 24 127 0 0 0 0 3 16 78 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 0 1 3 33 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Kent 0 0 0 1 5 4 36 0 0 0 0 1 6 45 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 2 11 53 0 0 0 0 2 6 42 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 1 0 3 3 34 0 0 0 0 2 1 24 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 7 22 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 1 1 8 67 0 0 1 0 0 2 31 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 3 5 15 69 383 0 0 0 2 8 35 303 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 3 17 0 0 1 1 2 1 17 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 1 2 3 17 0 0 0 0 0 1 15 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 1 5 15 105 0 0 0 0 0 7 51 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 15 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 4 3 41 0 0 0 0 0 7 34 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 4 21 67 0 0 0 1 1 7 54 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 4 20 0 0 0 0 2 3 20 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 2 5 18 0 0 0 0 1 4 27 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 0 0 1 2 13 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 0 3 17 0 0 0 0 2 2 22 
			 Sussex 0 0 1 2 4 5 41 0 0 0 1 3 3 33 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 0 5 38 0 0 1 1 3 3 45 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 2 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 
			 West Mercia 0 1 1 0 2 7 41 0 0 0 1 0 5 30 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 3 15 0 0 0 0 3 12 62 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 1 3 7 72 0 0 0 0 0 4 53 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 1 2 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 
		
	
	
		
			  31 March 2007 
			   Male  Female 
			   ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const.  ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const. 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 4 46 0 0 0 0 1 2 32 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 1 1 0 15 0 0 0 0 1 1 12 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 1 19 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 5 29 0 0 0 0 3 3 26 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 2 2 28 0 0 0 0 0 1 29 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 3 9 28 0 0 0 0 0 1 17 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 2 3 6 57 0 0 0 0 0 5 52 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 1 1 5 21 0 0 0 0 1 5 21 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 5 23 0 0 0 0 2 1 17 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 1 9 34 0 0 0 1 0 8 36 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 5 17 0 0 0 0 1 4 17 
			 Greater Manchester 0 1 0 2 4 10 104 0 0 0 1 2 9 117 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 1 7 16 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 2 12 74 0 0 0 0 0 12 68 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 1 2 29 0 0 0 0 0 5 39 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 31 
			 Kent 0 1 0 0 2 1 41 0 0 0 0 2 6 46 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 1 2 7 42 0 0 0 0 1 7 51 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 2 3 29 0 0 0 0 0 2 31 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 1 8 15 0 0 0 0 0 1 28 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 
			 Merseyside 0 1 0 0 3 10 64 0 0 0 1 0 4 36 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 4 3 13 70 360 0 0 0 0 2 34 330 
			 Norfolk 1 0 0 0 5 4 13 0 0 0 0 0 4 25 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 1 1 9 0 0 0 0 1 5 9 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 7 15 99 0 0 0 1 0 6 30 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 2 23 0 0 0 0 0 1 25 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 1 6 34 0 0 0 0 1 6 35 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 1 3 13 48 0 0 0 0 2 7 52 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 2 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 5 12 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 2 5 14 0 0 0 0 0 1 13 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 0 0 0 0 1 3 19 
			 Surrey 0 0 1 3 1 6 34 0 0 0 0 1 1 20 
			 Sussex 0 0 1 3 2 11 39 0 0 0 0 1 4 36 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 1 0 3 5 56 0 0 0 2 0 8 57 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 3 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 
			 West Mercia 0 1 0 0 3 8 54 0 0 0 0 1 10 45 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 4 19 84 0 0 0 1 2 12 120 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 9 56 0 0 0 0 1 4 62 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 2 4 16 0 0 0 0 1 2 24 
		
	
	
		
			  31 March 2008 
			   Male  Female 
			   ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const.  ACPO  Chief Supt.  Supt.  Chief Insp.  Insp.  Sgt.  Const. 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 1 0 1 2 8 60 0 0 0 0 0 5 59 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 1 0 4 18 0 0 0 0 1 1 29 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 1 3 26 0 0 0 0 2 0 31 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 1 5 32 0 0 0 1 4 4 33 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 1 3 3 40 0 0 0 0 0 3 27 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 2 2 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 2 10 53 0 0 0 0 0 7 31 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 1 3 10 43 0 0 0 0 1 4 17 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 3 23 0 0 0 0 0 5 19 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 0 0 0 0 0 2 17 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 1 4 29 0 0 0 1 1 7 41 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 0 4 12 108 0 0 0 0 1 16 115 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 1 1 24 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 
			 Hampshire 0 0 1 1 4 11 79 0 1 0 0 4 15 71 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 3 4 30 0 0 0 0 0 1 29 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 2 3 17 0 0 0 1 0 0 26 
			 Kent 0 1 0 0 3 3 36 0 0 0 0 0 8 58 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 0 3 7 53 0 0 0 0 0 3 48 
			 Leicestershire 0 1 0 0 3 4 19 0 0 0 0 1 0 34 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 1 0 3 7 24 0 0 1 0 0 3 22 
			 London, City of 0 0 1 0 0 2 15 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 3 9 67 0 0 0 0 0 3 44 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 5 12 31 108 712 0 0 0 1 11 49 453 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 6 34 0 0 0 1 2 2 16 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 1 2 4 16 0 0 0 0 1 2 23 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 1 2 8 54 0 1 0 0 0 4 38 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 5 15 0 0 0 0 0 3 26 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 2 5 29 0 0 0 0 1 4 34 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 3 6 62 0 0 1 1 0 8 63 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 1 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 1 1 0 4 29 0 0 0 0 0 2 26 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 2 13 0 0 0 0 0 4 24 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 4 2 7 37 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 1 7 24 0 0 0 0 3 9 37 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 2 8 38 0 0 0 1 2 12 72 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 3 4 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 3 11 50 0 0 0 1 1 7 61 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 1 5 9 90 0 0 0 1 3 7 111 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 1 3 8 75 0 0 0 0 1 3 75 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 3 14 0 0 0 0 2 1 14 
			 (1) Long-term absences are only those absences that have lasted for more than 28 days. They include career breaks, compassionate leave, maternity/paternity leave, special leave, study leave, suspension and sick leave. (2) These data are provisional and are unaudited by police forces. (3) Data not provided.  Key: Chief Supt. = Chief Superintendent Supt. = Superintendent Chief Insp. = Chief Inspector Insp. = Inspector Sgt. = Sergeant Const. = Constable

Police: Bureaucracy

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1204, what the evidential basis was for her statement that the hon. Member for Wellingborough was wrong about time police officers spend on the beat in Northamptonshire; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The hon. Member for Wellingborough stated that in his county the amount of time spent on the beat was down to 10 per cent. In fact, the amount of time officers in his county spend patrolling and involved in no other activity is 10 per cent; the total amount of time they spend on the beat will be considerably greater than this.

Police: Official Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations she has visited on official business in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary regularly goes out to visit front line police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), both in police stations and as part of neighbourhood policing visits.
	For example, in February this year my right hon. Friend visited a police station in Southampton, and has met front line police officers and PCSOs in their communities on many occasions in the last 12 months, including undertaking visits to Basildon, West Yorkshire, Luton, Northampton, South Yorkshire and Cardiff.

Proof of Identity: Fraud

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under 18 years old have been prosecuted for fraud for possessing a faked or doctored form of identification in  (a) Herefordshire,  (b) the West Mercia Constabulary area and  (c) the West Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Information provided by the Ministry of Justice on the number of persons aged 10 to 17 years proceeded against at magistrates courts, for offences contrary to the Fraud Act 2006, Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, and the Identity Cards Act 2006, in relation to possession of faked or doctored form of identification in West Mercia and west midlands police force area for 2007 can be viewed in the following table.
	It is not possible to further break down data to county level (i.e. Herefordshire), as Herefordshire forms part of West Mercia police force area, data for West Mercia police force area has thus been provided in lieu.
	Section 25 of the Identity Cards Act, commenced on 7 June 2006.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  The number of persons aged 10 to 17 years proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to certain sections of the Fraud Act 2006, Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, and the Identity Cards Act 2006, in West Mercia and West Midlands Police Force Area, 2007( 1,2,3) 
			  Statute  Offence description  West Mercia police force area  West midlands police force area 
			 Fraud Act 2006 s.1(2a)(3)(4), 2(la)(b) Dishonestly makes a false representation to make a gain for himself or another or to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk. 4 9 
			 Fraud Act 2006 s.6 Possession etc. of articles for use in frauds. 1 2 
			 Fraud Act 2006 s.7 Make, adapt, supply or offer to supply any article knowing that it is designed or adapted for use in the course of or in connection with fraud, or intending it to be used to commit or facilitate fraud. — — 
			 Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 secs 3, 4 Using a false instrument etc in respect of scheduled drug. — — 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 s.25(l)(2)(6) With intent knowingly possess false/improperly obtained/another's ID document. — 2 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 s.25(3)(4)(6) With intent make/possess/have under your control apparatus/article/material designed/adapted for making false ID documents. — — 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 s.25(5)(7) Possess/control a false/improperly obtained ID card or which relates to another or apparatus etc for making ID documents. — — 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Section 25 of the Identity Cards Act, commenced on 7 June 2006.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff there were in the  (a) Intervention Directorate,  (b) Enforcement Directorate,  (c) Corporate Services Directorate and  (d) Intelligence Directorate of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency on the latest date for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: As of 30 April, the Serious Organised Crime Agency had 3,989 full-time equivalent staff. These were as follows:
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent staff 
			  (a) Intervention Directorate 934 
			  (b) Enforcement Directorate 1,212 
			  (c) Corporate Services Directorate 562 
			  (d) Intelligence Directorate 1,094 
			  (e) Legal, Corporate Assurance and Executive Co-ordination 87 
		
	
	In addition, the Child Exploitation and On-line Protection centre has 100 full-time equivalent SOCA funded staff (including secondees in and those on SOCA contracts).

Sexual Offences: Registration

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders are  (a) required to register with the police and  (b) registered with the police; and how many sex offenders have breached their registration requirements in the last 12 months.

Alan Campbell: Data on the number of registered sexual offenders in England and Wales is available in the annual published multi agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) reports:
	http://www.probation.justice.gov.uk/output/page30.asp
	Each police force monitors all registered sex offenders in their area and knows which of these offenders is currently compliant with the notification requirements. Offenders in breach of their notification requirements have committed a criminal offence and are liable to a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

Special Constables: Working Hours

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours on average a special constable worked in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available data are given in the tables.
	The Government have increased the funding for special constables to ensure that there will be an extra 6,000 officers by 2011.
	This information is not complete as some forces have not provided data, and the information was not collected before 2002-03.
	In order to reduce bureaucracy still further, it will no longer be collected by the Home Office in the future.
	
		
			  Hours worked by special constables( 1) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 48,578 61,485 n/a 77,974 96,021 80,981 
			 Bedfordshire 17,888 25,000 42,107 46,972 57,393 45,000 
			 Cambridgeshire n/a n/a n/a 37,451 44,799 46,545 
			 Cheshire 28,588 22,268 30,421 52,516 66,045 59,683 
			 Cleveland 11,950 13,028 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cumbria 13,816 9,356 22,231 32,694 32,061 30,462 
			 Derbyshire n/a n/a n/a 59,758 50,639 43,227 
			 Devon and Cornwall 79,620 68,484 44,212 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Dorset 38,349 35,307 35,960 45,658 60,991 54,054 
			 Durham n/a n/a n/a 18,887 20,914 n/a 
			 Dyfed-Powys 5,251 5,033 4,276 14,075 18,349 14,136 
			 Essex 82,940 83,638 95,593 118,175 119,018 145,477 
			 Gloucestershire 20,800 12,455 17,101 20,484 18,741 14,228 
			 Greater Manchester n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Gwent 19,451 15,242 25,623 12,606 14,028 12,222 
			 Hampshire 78,036 81,354 80,677 90,300 103,276 83,864 
			 Hertfordshire 54,853 67,258 74,021 74,437 81,437 89,010 
			 Humberside 27,499 n/a n/a 63,624 82,469 80,095 
			 Kent 98,680 83,962 90,244 84,206 81,018 82,600 
			 Lancashire n/a n/a 72,592 82,866 88,300 n/a 
			 Leicestershire 16,589 18,512 n/a 36,342 48,085 46,865 
			 Lincolnshire 24,336 26,692 26,843 25,823 25,616 19,056 
			 London, City of 7,954 10,312 9,719 8,615 6,629 11,508 
			 Merseyside 80,723 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Metropolitan Police n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Norfolk 59,208 32,879 21,102 59,500 58,000 64,140 
			 Northamptonshire 38,304 36,651 59,691 52,167 42,496 25,509 
			 Northumbria 26,842 23,269 23,150 21,723 8,287 5,524 
			 North Wales n/a n/a n/a 14,568 17,362 26,316 
			 North Yorkshire n/a n/a n/a 26,892 30,912 29,612 
			 Nottinghamshire n/a n/a n/a 29,706 50,455 53,196 
			 South Wales 29,346 54,870 n/a 53,629 35,583 27,720 
			 South Yorkshire 34,005 27,145 28,617 52,383 48,014 53,837 
			 Staffordshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 77,168 
			 Suffolk 53,487 50,681 n/a 37,437 59,551 64,524 
			 Surrey n/a n/a 47,245 66,867 70,290 n/a 
			 Sussex n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 55,148 
			 Thames Valley 58,690 62,108 n/a 52,358 n/a n/a 
			 Warwickshire 50,208 45,107 51,227 49,629 34,192 25,523 
			 West Mercia 51,985 41,000 42,128 n/a n/a 44,588 
			 West Midlands n/a n/a n/a 176,630 158,350 131,127 
			 West Yorkshire 69,517 62,016 60,641 64,395 63,731 55,374 
			 Wiltshire 29,664 33,739 43,480 39,619 29,815 n/a 
			 n/a = Data unavailable. (1) The data are unvalidated and therefore provided on a provisional basis only 
		
	
	
		
			  Special constable( 1) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 345 305 396 408 404 444 
			 Bedfordshire 98 146 209 181 166 142 
			 Cambridgeshire 189 193 199 185 202 210 
			 Cheshire 161 173 192 225 291 282 
			 Cleveland 102 85 66 138 179 195 
			 Cumbria 94 77 126 152 166 142 
			 Derbyshire 249 301 369 429 506 445 
			 Devon and Cornwall 645 602 582 572 549 505 
			 Dorset 214 210 230 264 295 295 
			 Durham 94 81 91 109 117 126 
			 Dyfed-Powys 152 151 167 194 190 169 
			 Essex 371 349 363 439 451 559 
			 Gloucestershire 157 155 146 157 133 143 
			 Greater Manchester 340 345 380 424 403 350 
			 Gwent 130 136 144 137 145 204 
			 Hampshire 373 346 369 388 439 457 
			 Hertfordshire 193 206 226 232 268 266 
			 Humberside 157 209 328 330 344 344 
			 Kent 286 341 338 306 293 349 
			 Lancashire 351 336 319 366 379 393 
			 Leicestershire 149 159 181 168 178 202 
			 Lincolnshire 139 156 179 166 171 165 
			 London, City of 42 54 52 70 74 72 
			 Merseyside 503 371 259 345 392 456 
			 Metropolitan Police 692 742 697 1,221 1,741 2,510 
			 Norfolk 239 241 253 262 271 271 
			 Northamptonshire 189 197 242 237 214 180 
			 Northumbria 221 169 240 198 191 123 
			 North Wales 133 124 124 136 164 160 
			 North Yorkshire 177 160 173 189 184 178 
			 Nottinghamshire 261 295 333 361 382 378 
			 South Wales 173 218 198 281 301 334 
			 South Yorkshire 204 200 204 270 298 264 
			 Staffordshire 391 376 409 406 380 371 
			 Suffolk 275 266 267 293 305 360 
			 Surrey 212 255 289 280 275 278 
			 Sussex 303 181 200 197 204 199 
			 Thames Valley 369 341 375 327 286 246 
			 Warwickshire 190 169 190 211 200 208 
			 West Mercia 309 280 263 284 274 251 
			 West Midlands 637 715 959 1,021 937 769 
			 West Yorkshire 374 403 417 440 494 403 
			 Wiltshire 154 169 174 180 185 149 
			 (1) Total strength is based on headcount figures. 
		
	
	
		
			  Average hours worked( 1) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 141 202 n/a 191 238 182 
			 Bedfordshire 183 171 201 260 346 317 
			 Cambridgeshire n/a n/a n/a 202 222 222 
			 Cheshire 178 129 158 233 227 212 
			 Cleveland 117 153 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cumbria 147 122 176 215 193 215 
			 Derbyshire n/a n/a n/a 139 100 97 
			 Devon and Cornwall 123 114 76 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Dorset 179 168 156 173 207 183 
			 Durham n/a n/a n/a 173 179 n/a 
			 Dyfed-Powys 35 33 26 73 97 84 
			 Essex 224 240 263 269 264 260 
			 Gloucestershire 132 80 117 130 141 99 
			 Greater Manchester n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Gwent 150 112 178 92 97 60 
			 Hampshire 209 235 219 233 235 184 
			 Hertfordshire 284 326 328 321 304 335 
			 Humberside 175 n/a n/a 193 240 233 
			 Kent 345 246 267 275 277 237 
			 Lancashire n/a n/a 228 226 233 n/a 
			 Leicestershire 111 116 n/a 216 270 232 
			 Lincolnshire 175 171 150 156 150 115 
			 London, City of 189 191 187 123 90 160 
			 Merseyside 160 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Metropolitan Police n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Norfolk 248 136 83 227 214 237 
			 Northamptonshire 203 186 247 220 199 142 
			 Northumbria 121 138 96 110 43 45 
			 North Wales n/a n/a n/a 107 106 164 
			 North Yorkshire n/a n/a n/a 142 168 166 
			 Nottinghamshire n/a n/a n/a 82 132 141 
			 South Wales 170 252 n/a 191 118 83 
			 South Yorkshire 167 136 140 194 161 204 
			 Staffordshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 208 
			 Suffolk 194 191 n/a 128 195 179 
			 Surrey n/a n/a 163 239 256 n/a 
			 Sussex n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 277 
			 Thames Valley 159 182 n/a 160 n/a n/a 
			 Warwickshire 264 267 270 235 171 123 
			 West Mercia 168 146 160 n/a n/a 178 
			 West Midlands n/a n/a n/a 173 169 171 
			 West Yorkshire 186 154 145 146 129 137 
			 Wiltshire 193 200 250 220 161 n/a 
			 n/a = Data unavailable (1) Total strength is based on headcount figures.

UK Border Agency: Consultants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency spent on external consultants in 2008.

Phil Woolas: UK Border Agency spent £27.2 million on external consultants during financial year 2007-08.

Visas: Overseas Students

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are applied by the UK Border Agency to the grant of student visas to foreign medical students who require more than four years to complete their training.

Phil Woolas: Under the tier 4 immigration rules, a student such as a medical student, following a course of study at or above degree level for longer than 12 months, and who meets all of the requirements of the immigration rules, will be granted leave to cover the full duration of their course, plus an additional period of four months.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Employment: Young People

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people under 18 years old in employment in  (a) Tameside,  (b) Stockport and  (c) Greater Manchester.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	We are determined to ensure that as many young people as possible continue their learning beyond the age of 16 to get the qualifications and experience they need to make a successful transition into employment in an increasingly competitive labour market. Many will continue their learning in the workplace through an apprenticeship or work based learning programme.
	All 16 and 17-year-olds will be offered a suitable place in education or training under the September Guarantee. The additional investment announced in Budget 2009, together with the plans that we recently announced to make available an additional 17,500 apprenticeship places for 16 to 18-year-olds, mean that we are now investing over £6.8 billion in 16-18 education and training, providing a record level of more than 1,550,000 learning places. Schools, colleges and Connexions services will give young people across Greater Manchester the advice and support they need to find a suitable opportunity in education, employment or training.

Higher Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he expects the Forward Framework on Higher Education to be published.

David Lammy: We expect to publish our Framework for the future of Higher Education this summer.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many of those who applied to study full-time at a higher education institution for a first degree came from a household with gross annual income of  (a) £25,000 or under,  (b) between £25,001 and £50,020 and  (c) higher than £50,020 in 2009-10.

David Lammy: Complete information on household incomes of applicants is not available centrally.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many part-time first degree entrants there have been at  (a) the Open University and  (b) other higher education institutions in each year since 2002-03.

David Lammy: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for the Open University cannot split undergraduate level of study into first degree and other undergraduate until the 2003/04 academic year, therefore figures for the 2002/03 academic year have not been provided. The Open University coded their entrant numbers incorrectly in the 2004/05 academic year, therefore these have not been provided.
	
		
			  Part-time first degree entrants( 1)  by higher education institution—UK higher education institutions academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			  Academic year  Open University  All other UK HEIs 
			 2003/04 25,555 38,905 
			 2004/05 n/a 36,715 
			 2005/06 31,640 37,755 
			 2006/07 32,095 34,185 
			 2007/08 31,630 33,725 
			 (1) Covers entrants of all domiciles. n/a = not available. The OU incorrectly coded entrants in the 2004/05 academic year.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

TREASURY

Bank Services: Post Offices

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Financial Services Authority regulates Bank of Ireland products offered via Post Office Ltd.; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Bank of Ireland operates as a branch in the UK and is therefore regulated by the Irish Financial Regulator.

Banks: Iceland

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role  (a) the Financial Services Authority and  (b) his Department has had in the transfer of depositors' money from Icelandic banks; what procedures have been followed; and what safeguards there are for depositors' money.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 13 May 2009
	 Heritable and Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (KSF) are UK-based banking subsidiaries of the two Icelandic banks Landsbanki and Kaupthing. On 7 and 8 October 2008 respectively, the FSA concluded that Heritable and KSF no longer met their threshold conditions, and were in default for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The Treasury, using powers under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act 2008, transferred certain accounts of Heritable primarily used by retail depositors and KSF's Edge retail deposit business to ING Direct. The Government also committed to paying out in full FSCS eligible depositors whose accounts were not transferred. The remainders of Heritage's and KSF's businesses were subsequently placed into administration following due legal process.
	On 8 October, the FSA announced that the UK-based branch of Landsbanki was in default for the purposes of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). To maintain financial stability and protect retail depositors, the Chancellor announced that all retail depositors with the Icesave brand of the branch would receive their money in full.

Business: Government Assistance

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what terms and conditions are imposed upon those accepting assistance under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; and if he will arrange for these terms and conditions to be published on the Business Link website.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 24 March 2009
	I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee including the eligibility criteria and the premium rate, together with other help for businesses under the Real Help package are already published on the Businesslink.gov website. Specific terms and conditions are a matter for each participating lender in discussion with each borrower and as such are confidential to those parties.

Government Departments: Hotels

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct the Office of Government Commerce to review its policy of using only certain travel companies to procure business-use hotel accommodation.

Angela Eagle: Buying Solutions manage two framework agreements awarded to a total of six travel management companies (TMC's) following competitive tender action in accordance with EU procurement legislation.
	Public sector customers are not obliged to use these TMC's if they have alternative EU compliance arrangements.

Lighthouse Group: Network Data

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations from members of the public he has received on the role of HBOS in the proposed purchase by Lighthouse Group of Network Data Ltd.

Ian Pearson: The Chancellor receives a wide range of representations on issues relating to banks in receipt of public funds.
	As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Official Hospitality

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Audit Commission has spent on hotel accommodation for officials in  (a) the last 12 months and  (b) each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 3 June 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply.
	Spend on hotel accommodation in the last four years was as below:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 1,225,108 
			 2007-08 1,128,668 
			 2006-07 1,107,810 
			 2005-06 568,431 
		
	
	The figures include costs for dinner, bed and breakfast.
	In 2006 the Audit Commission introduced a new contractual arrangement for hotel accommodation with a booking agent. Prior to the new contract, hotel accommodation was booked directly with a wide range of hotels across the UK. Therefore the figure shown for 2005/06 only represents the expenditure with our contracted supplier.
	The Audit Commission employs approximately 2,000 staff. Due to the nature of our work and the geographical spread of our client base, overnight accommodation is a business requirement.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Audit Commission: Official Hospitality

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the Audit Commission's travel policy states that officials requiring hotel accommodation should use 3 or 4 star hotels.

Sadiq Khan: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 3 June 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply.
	Up to May 2009, the policy stated a minimum 3 star standard should be used, to ensure that room service was available, as this was felt to be important for the security of our staff working away from home. The Audit Commission changed its policy on hotel accommodation in May 2009. The new policy removed the minimum 3 star standard and replaced this with a maximum overnight rate depending upon the location of the hotel:
	
		
			   £ 
			 London, SW1 160.00 
			 Bristol and London (excluding SW1) 130.00 
			 Regions (excluding Bristol and London) 115.00 
		
	
	The maximum overnight rates include bed, breakfast and a £25 limit for an evening meal.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Building Regulations

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to launch the consultation on proposed changes to Part L of the Building Regulations; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department expects to publish a consultation document on proposed changes to parts L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building Regulations shortly.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost to her Department and local authorities of council tax rebilling was in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

John Healey: There is no cost to the Department as a result of council tax rebilling.
	The Department does not provide estimates of rebilling costs to local authorities;
	actual costs for previous years were as follows:
	2007-08: £0
	2008-09: £1.22 per household for Lincolnshire police authority.(1)
	(1) Based on figures provided by the authority.

Council Tax: Debt Collection

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on the use of bailiffs to collect council tax; and what assessment she has made of the implications for local authorities' use of bailiffs of her Department's plans to allow councils to transfer council tax debts from magistrates to county courts.

John Healey: Communities and Local Government's predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister jointly published with the Government Operational Research Service a Council Tax Collection Good Practice Report in 2004. The report looks at ways of sharing good practice among practitioners, in order to promote continuous improvement in service delivery and collection. Annex D of the report covers the use of bailiffs.
	The report is published on Communities and Local Government website at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/goodprac.pdf
	I am working with the Ministry of Justice to look at new ways to collect and enforce council tax, in particular by allowing councils to transfer council tax debts from magistrates to county courts.

Council Tax: Surrey

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 13 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 51-52WS, on local government, what estimate she has made of the rate of Band D council tax to be charged in each billing authority in Surrey in 2009-10 following the capping and rebilling of Surrey Police Authority; and what estimate she has made of the change in the average Band D council tax bill in England in 2009-10 following the re-billing.

John Healey: Subject to the House of Commons approving an order to cap Surrey police authority, the band D council tax charged by the police authority to each billing authority in Surrey in 2009-10 will be a maximum of £193.92. There would be no change to the 2009-10 average band D council tax level in England as published by my Department on 26 March.

Empty Property

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of domestic properties in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire,  (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) the East of England and  (d) England were vacant in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally for North-West Cambridgeshire. Figures are available at local authority district level.
	The following table shows the proportion of vacant properties in Cambridgeshire, the east of England and England in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Total vacant dwellings as a percentage of total dwelling stock 
			  Percentage 
			   As at: 
			  Region  1 November 2004  10 October 2005  9 October 2006  8 October 2007  6 October 2008 
			 Cambridge 3.1 2.9 2.8 3.1 2.9 
			 East Cambridgeshire 3.2 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.1 
			 Fenland 3.5 2.7 2.6 2.9 3.1 
			 Huntingdonshire 2.1 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.7 
			 Peterborough UA 2.5 2.5 2.9 2.9 3.3 
			 South Cambridgeshire 3.1 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.7 
			 Cambridgeshire 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.8 3.0 
			 East of England 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.0 
			 England 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 
			  Source: Council Taxbase and Council Taxbase Supplementary (CTB1 and CTB1S) returns from local authorities.

Fire Services: Pensions

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what actuarial assumptions are to be used in the actuarial valuations of the  (a) Firefighters Pension Scheme and  (b) New Firefighters Pension Scheme.

John Healey: The Government Actuary is carrying out an actuarial valuation of the firefighters' pension arrangements in England. The report will set out the assumptions and other factors considered before making recommendations about both schemes. When the report is published later this year, a copy will be placed in the Library.

Government Office Network: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget is of the  (a) Government Office Network,  (b) Regions and Communities Group and  (c) Communities Group for (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Sadiq Khan: The net budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   2009/10  2010/11 
			 Government offices—administration 106,624 101,329 
			 Government Offices—resource 0 0 
			 Government Offices—capital 2,860 2,860 
			
			 Regions & Communities Group—administration 2,337 — 
			 Regions & Communities Group—resource 19,100 20,100 
			 Regions & Communities Group—capital 70,000 70,000 
			
			 Communities Group—administration 19,035 — 
			 Communities Group—resource 325,815 296,528 
			 Communities Group—capital 143,696 180,361 
		
	
	Group administration budgets for 2010-11 are subject to decision by the Department's board as part of the Department's internal business planning process.
	CSR07 allocated budgets for the period to 2010-11. Budgets beyond 2010-11 have yet to be agreed with the Treasury.

Home Information Packs

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of her Department's expenditure on administration of its policy on home information packs in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the hon. Member to my reply given on 6 November 2008,  Official Report, column 723W. Programme resources for 2011-12 have not yet been allocated.

Housing: Construction

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to ensure that the planned number of new homes are built during the next 12 months.

Iain Wright: The Housing Green Paper, "Homes for the Future: more affordable, more sustainable", published in July 2007, set out the Government's ambition to increase housing supply, in order to bring greater stability and affordability to the housing market.
	In the past year, a range of measures have been announced to support the construction industry and boost housing supply. These measures included: bringing forward £550 million of funding from 2010-11 to maintain the supply of new social rented dwellings; £400 million to invest in new social housing over the 2009-11 two year period; an additional £775 million to support construction activities, including regeneration, decent homes and social rented housing over the next two years; and housing market renewal pathfinders were awarded £311 million for 2009-10 to support a range of activities, including new build.
	Last month, the 2009 Budget announced a further £1 billion of additional resources for housing which included a £400 million kickstart housing delivery fund to restart stalled construction activity across the country. This should help developers retain jobs and skills, and boost the supply of homes over the next year—benefiting first time buyers and social tenants. The Budget also allocated £100 million over two years to enable local authorities to deliver new social housing on land they already own that can be developed only by them.
	In order to compliment this investment, the Government are taking a range of measures to ensure that the housing sector grows strongly over the longer term. These measures will: ensure sufficient land for development, through housing allocations in local plans and further action on public sector land, supported by a responsive and efficient planning system; deliver effective and coordinated infrastructure provision; promote a strong and diverse house building sector; continue to ensure the increased long-term supply of social and affordable housing; and. ensure a proportionate approach to land-value capture and cumulative regulation. The Government will report on progress at the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Housing: Low Incomes

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment was made of the likely level of demand for MyChoice HomeBuy before its introduction; and what mechanism was established for the allocation of funding to that scheme.

Margaret Beckett: The MyChoice HomeBuy product was introduced, along with OwnHome (a similar product from different providers) at the beginning of the 2008 to 2011 National Affordable Housing programme, after a competition for new shared equity products. Both MyChoice HomeBuy and OwnHome are open market HomeBuy products. The likely level of demand for open market HomeBuy in the 2008 to 2011 programme was assessed with regard to the levels of demand for previous open market homebuy products.
	We do not set specific budgets for HomeBuy products in advance, to allow flexibility within the Affordable Housing programme. The cost of any of the schemes is reviewed on a regular basis within the context of the overall programme. In managing the programme, the Government seek to strike the right balance between this scheme and other programmes such as the provision of new homes and properties for social rent.

Housing: Low Incomes

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding allocated to the MyChoice HomeBuy scheme in 2008-09 was not spent.

Margaret Beckett: We do not set a specific budget for the MyChoice HomeBuy product in advance, to allow flexibility within the Affordable Housing Programme. However, the HCA made up to £133 million available to MyChoice HomeBuy providers in 2008-09 of which provisional figures show that £115 million was spent by 31 March 2009. Funding for the scheme is reviewed on a regular basis within the context of the overall programme.
	The HCA subsequently made £17 million available in 2009-10 to fund MyChoice HomeBuy purchases for those applicants who had been issued with authority to proceed prior to the end of the 2008-09 financial year but had not completed their purchase.

Housing: Low Incomes

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for assistance under the MyChoice HomeBuy scheme had been made as at 1 May 2009; how many had been declined; and for what reasons in each case.

Margaret Beckett: Applicants can, and usually do, apply for several HomeBuy schemes, not just MyChoice HomeBuy. A total of 53,919 applications were received for MyChoice HomeBuy, in the period from April 2008—when the scheme was launched—to the end of April 2009. During that time period, 29,148 applicants in total were approved to look for a property. Information on applications declined is not collected centrally.

Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for which indicators other than those in the national indicator set her Department routinely collects information from local authorities.

John Healey: The national indicator set is the only set of performance indicators for which the Government collects information from local authorities. With regards to other information collected by my Department, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 965-66W.

Local Government Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which recommendations of Sir Michael Lyons' 2007 report on local government finance  (a) have been implemented and  (b) are planned to be implemented.

John Healey: The Government responded to the Lyons Inquiry on local government in the Budget report published on 21 March 2007 and in a press notice issued by the Department on the same day. A copy of the press notice is in the Library.

Local Government Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority has received  (a) in cash terms and  (b) per capita in (i) planning delivery grant and (ii) housing and planning delivery grant in each year of each scheme.

Iain Wright: Data regarding the amounts received by each local planning authority for Planning Delivery Grant (PDG) for the period 2003-08 and Housing and Planning Delivery Grant (HPDG) for 2008-09 together with a per capita calculation for the total of PDG and a separate one for HPDG has been placed in the Library.

Local Government: Pensions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much on average local authorities' employer contributions to the Local Government Pension Scheme are as a percentage of an individual's salary.

John Healey: This information is not held centrally. However, general information about the level of contributions paid into the Local Government Pension Scheme by employers and employees can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/pensions.htm
	The most recent information, for 2007-08, was published on 15 October 2008.

Local Government: Political Impartiality

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable her Department has set for bringing forward legislative proposals to change the Widdicombe rules on restrictions on political activity by local authority officials.

John Healey: Provisions to amend the Widdicombe rules by removing the salary bar link to politically restricted posts were introduced by Government amendment to the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill during its Third Reading on 29 April in the other place.

Mayors: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions her Department has had on the establishment of a Mayor for Greater Manchester.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) gave him on 10 June 2008,  Official Report, column 144W.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department's methodology for its annual calculation to adjust the business rate multiplier in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) the previous September allows for a reduction in the multiplier when RPI is negative; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Calculation of the multiplier is determined by a formula set out in schedule 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with which representative bodies her Department had discussions on the business rate deferral scheme  (a) in the three months prior to and  (b) following the announcement of the scheme.

John Healey: Ministers and officials from the Department regularly meet representatives of the business community and local government to discuss business rates matters. Since the announcement of the business rates deferral scheme officials have in particular held discussions on its implementation and administration.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans next to review the rateable value limits in  (a) England and  (b) London; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: Various rateable value thresholds are used in the non-domestic rating system to target rate relief at smaller properties. We will consider all rateable value thresholds in light of the 2010 revaluation over the course of the rest of this year.

Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 8 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 453-54W, on non-domestic rates: Greater London, what the title of the substantive Valuation Office Agency document was from which the section on the sub-location concept was taken.

John Healey: The title of the document is: Review of sub location codes.

Non-Domestic Rates: Microgeneration

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has prepared an impact assessment in respect of changes to the business rate liability of microgeneration equipment to be applied during the 2010 rates revaluation.

John Healey: The 2010 revaluation is undertaken under section 52 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. As we are not introducing a new policy proposal, scheme or new legislation, under the guidance published by BERR on their website, the revaluation does not require an impact assessment.
	The purpose of revaluation is to ensure that the liability of a property reflects the market values on 1 April 2008.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the retrospective application of business rates to firms in ports.

John Healey: The policy underpinning the requirement for backdating where appropriate is to ensure a rateable property pays its fair amount of rates from the point the property should be rated to ensure all business are treated fairly.
	The rates system must be equitable to all and any solution to a situation as in the ports must not confer a disadvantage upon other ratepayers.
	The statutory framework of business rates gives Ministers no discretion to remove a liability to taxation, and we do not believe it would be in the interests of fair competition or in line with the principles of taxation for such a liability to be waived.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the potential change in non-port rateable values in Milford Haven Port Authority as a result of the Valuation Office Agency's review of ports rates liability.

John Healey: The Milford Haven assessment is currently subject to legal opinion, and therefore the VOA consider it inappropriate to estimate liability at this point in time.

Non-Domestic Rates: Religious Buildings

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 382W, on the Church of Scientology, what  (a) criteria and  (b) methodology the Valuation Office Agency uses to determine whether a faith community is deemed to be eligible for a place of worship business rate exemption.

John Healey: Schedule 5 para. 11(1) to the Local Government Act 1988 provides the criteria for exemption from non-domestic rating for places of public religious worship. Premises occupied by a faith community will be exempt providing:
	It is a place of religious worship
	The worship is public
	The premises are certified as a place of religious worship by the Registrar General or belong to the Church of England or the Church in Wales.
	Valuation officers' methodology is to follow the above criteria.

Regeneration: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 8 May 2009,  Official Report, column 454W, on regeneration, what steps her Department has taken to guard against repetition of such financial irregularities.

John Healey: The 2007-13 round of the European regional development fund is being administered by regional development agencies. In setting up these programmes we have:
	Worked with RDAs to agree a comprehensive set of instructions and guidelines that clarify at the start of the programme round what is required to ensure compliance with the regulations and to maintain a high level of financial control. These materials include specific reference to the weaknesses identified in the previous programme round.
	Commissioned and carried out independent scrutiny of the management and financial control systems used by RDAs and CLG to ensure compliance with programme requirements.
	Established an independent audit authority that will carry out a programme of audits of expenditure throughout the lifetime of these ERDF programmes.
	Established comprehensive governance arrangements that provide for ongoing scrutiny of risk and a ready means of escalating and resolving any emerging problems in programme delivery, financial control and management.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has allocated to each regional development agency for  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Sadiq Khan: The Department of Communities and Local Government does not directly allocate funding to the regional development agencies. Regional development agencies are instead funded through a single programme, which is administered by their sponsor Department, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	My Department is, however, one of six contributory Departments to this single programme, with a planned contribution of £1.585 billion during 2009-10.
	For information, total departmental allocations to the regional development agencies' single programme for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Total single programme allocation (£) 
			  Regional development agency  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Advantage West Midlands 295,165,000 212,003,000 
			 East of England Development Agency 135,740,000 108,115,000 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 160,322,000 131,304,000 
			 London Development Agency 374,963,000 325,521,000 
			 North West Development Agency 397,410,000 304,572,000 
			 One North East 249,226,000 194,845,000 
			 South East England Development Agency 165,097,000 132,562,000 
			 South West Development Agency 157,463,000 124,580,000 
			 Yorkshire Forward 317,475,000 228,160,000 
			 Total 2,252,861,000 1,761,662,000 
		
	
	It should be noted that allocations for 2010-11 are currently indicative.
	Single programme allocations for 2011-12 are yet to be determined, falling outside the current 2008 to 2011 spending review settlement.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 400-2W, on Valuation Office, if she will place in the Library a copy of a Billing Authority Report submitted via the e-BAR facility.

John Healey: Billing Authorities send information to the Valuation Office Agency. This information, required to assist in maintaining valuation and rating lists, is called a billing authority report or BAR. Some Billing Authorities submit their BARs electronically using the e-BAR facility. As the e-BAR is electronic, and can be in different formats, it is not possible to provide a typical e-BAR.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 400-2W, on Valuation Office, whether any Billing Authority Report submitted via the e-BAR facility has included information derived from building control data.

John Healey: The sources of information vary from Billing Authority to Billing Authority. The Building Control Department will be a source for some Billing Authorities.

Valuation Office: Local Government

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 400-2W, on Valuation Office, what the differences are between the Valuebill interface and the e-BAR facility.

John Healey: The various data exchanges between billing authorities, the Valuation Office Agency, and the National Land and Property Gazetteer covered by the former Valuebill project can be regarded as the Valuebill interface. The e-BAR facility is a development, based on a Valuebill schema, to enable Billing Authorities to send electronic reports to VOA.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children in Care

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) family and friend carers and  (b) family and friends foster carers are providing full-time care for a child because of (i) parental drug and alcohol misuse, (ii) the death of a parent, (iii) parental imprisonment, (iv) domestic violence and (v) other reasons.

Beverley Hughes: Data on the reasons for a child being provided with full-time care by their relative or friend are not collected centrally. This is the case both for family and friends carers who are approved foster carers and for those who are not.

Children: Databases

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) maintained and  (b) independent schools have indicated that they will not take part in the ContactPoint database.

Beverley Hughes: We are not aware nationally of any individual schools in either  (a) the maintained or  (b) independent school sectors that have indicated that they will not take part in ContactPoint.

Class Sizes: Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many key stage 1 children were in classes of  (a) over 20,  (b) over 25 and  (c) over 30 pupils in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : Number of Key Stage 1 children in classes( 2,3) . Coverage: England. Year: January 2009 (provisional) 
			  Class size  Number of pupils 
			 All classes 1,396,830 
			 Over 20 pupils 1,293,370 
			 Over 25 pupils 997,370 
			 Over 30 pupils(4) 29,200 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. (3) Includes reception classes. (4) Includes all pupils in large classes, including those with excepted activity.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for the compilation of reports by the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service in Barnsley.

Beverley Hughes: Where courts in Barnsley have requested a CAFCASS report they have been completed, on average, within seventeen weeks in 2008-09. CAFCASS have agreed with the courts in Barnsley to reduce the time taken to deal with these requests to 12 weeks from the 1 April 2009.
	CAFCASS are looking to achieve this reduction by working closely with the judiciary in the area to implement their service improvement plan. The plan focuses on a sustained systematic approach of restructuring the way in which they deliver services in South Yorkshire.

GCSE: Plymouth

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children resident in Plymouth, Sutton achieved five or more A* to C grades at GCSE in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008.

Jim Knight: Consistent information about pupil achievement based on residency is only available for years 2002/03 onwards. The requested information for 2002/03 and 2007/08 is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils( 1)  resident in Plymouth, Sutton constituency achieving five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalents, 2002/03( 2 ) and 2007/08( 3) 
			   Percentage 
			 2002/03 54.7 
			 2007/08 67.3 
			 (1) Pupils attending maintained schools only. (2) Based on pupils aged 15 with a valid postcode at the start of the academic year and includes GCSEs and GNVQs. (3) Based on pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 with a valid postcode in that academic year and includes GCSEs and equivalents.  Source: National Pupil Database (final data).

Gifted Children

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of gifted and talented pupils stayed in full-time education beyond the age of 16 years in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is provided in the table. This shows the number and percentage of young people identified in maintained schools as being gifted and talented that stayed on in full-time education beyond 16. The data relates to the cohorts of young people who completed compulsory education at the end of academic years 2005-06 and 2006-07. The staying on rate represents those who were identified as being in full-time education in the year following their completion of compulsory education, but only covers participation in the maintained sector. Data are not available for earlier cohorts.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of gifted and talented children that stayed on in full-time education beyond 16, England 
			  Year completed compulsory education  Total number of gifted and talented children aged 15  Number of gifted and talented children that stayed on in full-time education beyond 16  Percentage of gifted and talented children that stayed on in full- time education beyond 16 
			 2005-06 64,000 58,600 92 
			 2006-07 81,300 74,500 92 
			  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.  Source:  Matched Administrative Data

National Curriculum Tests

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in non-selective maintained schools achieved  (a) level 7 and  (b) level 8 in Key Stage 3 examinations in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science in (A) 1997, (B) 2002, (C) 2005 and (D) the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown as follows:
	
		
			   1997  2002  2005  2007 
			  Eligible pupils 
			 English 521,887 575,941 588,020 563,761 
			 Mathematics 523,935 577,784 587,690 564,046 
			 Science 524,076 578,483 588,374 564,688 
			  
			  Number of pupils achieving KS3 Level 7 
			 English 22,491 49,176 44,189 36,895 
			 Mathematics 48,755 85,807 109,326 113,119 
			 Science 28,237 47,981 56,506 73,456 
			  
			  Number of pupils achieving KS3 Level 8 
			 English 2,817 4,249 — — 
			 Mathematics 4,154 15,928 22,996 35,810 
			 Science 1,413 2,914 — — 
			  Note: Includes pupils for whom admission policy information was unknown or for which information was not applicable. 
		
	
	From 2003, Level 8 can only be achieved in mathematics following the end of extension papers at KS3.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people will be employed to work on the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit.

Beverley Hughes: Pages 7-11 of 'The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming', published on 6 May, included an explanation of the steps to be taken to establish the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit. This makes clear that the unit, which will be operational in July, will be hosted within the Department for Children, Schools and Families and will include expert staff from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and Department of Health as well as local agencies and the voluntary sector. Regional Government office staff will also work as part of the unit. The precise numbers of staff are in the process of being determined.

Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in England educate five to seven year olds; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   Phase of education 
			  Type of establishment   Middle deemed primary  Middle deemed secondary  Primary  Grand total 
			 Community 20 3 9,307 9,330 
			 Foundation — — 326 326 
			 Voluntary aided 8 — 3,550 3,558 
			 Voluntary controlled 4 — 2,392 2,396 
			 Grand total 32 3 15,575 15,610 
			  Note: This answer includes schools whose age range covers the following: Middle deemed primary includes ages 3-16, 4-12, and 5-12. Middle deemed secondary includes ages 3-18 and 4 to 18 years old. Primary includes all ages from 2 to 11 years old.  Source: EduBase 2

Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the likely number of pupils in Key Stage 1 in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not make projections for pupil numbers by key stages directly, but by age instead. Key stage 1 would normally include those pupils aged five and six as at 31 August in the previous academic year.
	The Department's current projections for the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) pupils aged five and six in maintained primary and other schools in England are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Projected numbers of FTE pupils( 1, 2)  aged five and six, projections as at January each year 
			   Projected (thousands) 
			  Age at previous 31 August  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017 
			 Total pupils aged 5 and 6 1,153 1,193 1,222 1,248 1,291 1,322 1,335 1,353 1,366 
			 Maintained primary schools 1,084 1,121 1,149 1,174 1,213 1,241 1,253 1,270 1,283 
			 Other schools (3) 69 72 74 75 78 80 81 82 83 
			 (1 )Full-time equivalents, counting each part-time pupil as 0.5. The numbers have been rounded to the nearest one thousand. (2 )Experience has shown that totals in maintained primary schools are usually within ±0.2 per cent. for the first projected year. There is less certainty in the longer term. Factors which contribute to differences between projections and outturn data include the underlying population trends, participation among under fives and variations of proportions attending independent schools. Projections are increasing in uncertainty. (3 )Includes numbers of pupils in academies, special schools, pupil referral units and independent schools. 
		
	
	Updated projections for the number of pupils in maintained primary and other schools are due to be published in the Departmental Annual Report on 8 June 2009. These will take into account the provisional School Census figures for January 2009. Projections are not shown beyond 2017 because of the increasing degree of uncertainty over time.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average expenditure per school pupil in Plymouth was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The available information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  School based expenditure per pupil in local authority maintained schools for 2007-08 
			   LA maintained 
			   Nursery schools  Primary schools  Secondary schools  Special schools  All schools 
			 England 7,880 3,580 4,620 18,650 4,220 
			 Plymouth 6,860 3,400 4,510 16,790 4,160 
			  Notes:  1. School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure.  2. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DCSF School Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.  3. Figures are as reported by local authorities as at 29 May 2009 and are rounded to the nearest £10. 2007-08 data remains provisional and is subject to change by the local authority.  4. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 29 May 2009.

Schools: Biometrics

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment his Department has made of the effects of the use of biometrics in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected; it is a school level decision to implement biometric systems.

Schools: Capital Investment

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many additional jobs his Department expects to be created by bringing forward its capital expenditure for school building projects in the next 12 months.

Jim Knight: A tentative estimate of the number of jobs that will be created in 2009-10 is 10,000.

Schools: Complaints

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many complaints have been made about schools to Ofsted by parents in each of the last two years; how many of those were investigated; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 7 May 2009
	This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 20 May 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Under section 11A of the Education Act 2005, as amended by the Education and Inspections Act 2006, Ofsted may consider whether to investigate certain complaints, known as qualifying complaints, made about schools. Table A shows the number of complaints about schools made to Ofsted in the last two years and how many of these qualified for further investigation. Ofsted may consider a complaint about a school from any person, not just a registered parent. The data in Table A may include complaints from persons other than parents.
	To qualify, the subject of the complaint must fall within one of the areas covered by Ofsted's school inspection remit, as defined by section 5 of the Education Act 2005 and the relevant regulations. These are:
	The quality of the education provided in the school
	How far the education provided in the school meets the needs of the range of pupils at the school
	The educational standards achieved in the school
	The quality of the leadership in and management of the school, including whether the financial resources made available to the school are managed effectively
	The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils at the school
	The contribution made by the school to the well-being of those pupils
	From September 2008, the contribution made by the school to community cohesion.
	In addition, a complaint must be made in writing and must not fall within the remit of another statutory complaints process. Furthermore, the complainant must normally have already exhausted local complaints procedures. Ofsted may waive this particular requirement, but will normally only do so in exceptional circumstances. This is because it is appropriate that a school and/or the relevant local authority have the opportunity to put right a complaint before it is referred to Ofsted.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Complaints about schools made to Ofsted, April 2007 to March 2009 
			  Year  Total written complaints about schools  Those concerning safeguarding issues( 1)  Those qualifying for consideration under Ofsted's powers of investigation( 2)  Those retained for the lead inspector for the next scheduled inspection( 3)  Those leading to an immediate inspection  Those leading to the next scheduled inspection being brought forward 
			 27 April 2007 to 4 April 2008 1,196 18 142 86 1 1 
			 4 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 1,345 15 15 6 1 1 
			 (1) These complaints concerned safeguarding issues and were sent to Ofsted's safeguarding teams for further consideration. (2) The main reasons for complaints not qualifying are that complainants have either failed to exhaust local complaints procedures, or the complaint does not fall within the areas covered by Ofsted's school inspection remit. Ofsted responds to such complaints with advice on resolving their concerns through more appropriate authorities. (3) Ofsted considers all qualifying complaints. In the first instance, Ofsted may investigate by contacting the school or local authority, as well as consider the school's self-evaluation form, performance data, and their last inspection report. At this point, we are normally able to determine what action should be taken, which may lead to an inspection of the school or the information being retained for the next scheduled inspection. Alternatively, we may further investigate the issue raised by the complaint, which may include requiring the school or local authority to provide information relevant to the complaint or to hold a meeting of parents. We may also formally refer the complaint to the school or local authority.

Schools: Inspections

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost of inspections of  (a) schools and  (b) nurseries and other pre-school provision was in each of the last 12 years.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 20 May 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department and its funding is provided by HM Treasury. Table A shows Ofsted's total expenditure related to the inspection of schools, and the inspection and regulation of nurseries and other pre-school provision.
	The financial data are derived from Ofsted's audited accounts, which reflect as consistently as possible the cost of inspection and regulation. The accounts do not separately distinguish the cost of inspecting nurseries and other pre-school provision, from the cost of regulating these services. The full cost of inspection and regulation activity is provided and includes direct, indirect and overhead costs.
	Please note that while the inspection of schools has been a major element of Ofsted's work for the last 12 years, information included in Ofsted's audited accounts does not separately identify this cost until financial year 2003-04. The cost of school inspection has, therefore, only been provided from this point onwards. Similarly, Ofsted assumed responsibility for early years inspection and regulation from financial year 2001-02, and the cost of delivering our programme of early years inspection and regulation has been derived from Ofsted's summary accounts from this point onwards.
	As outlined above, Ofsted has undergone considerable change since the financial year 1997-98. From 1997-98 to 2000-01, Ofsted was primarily responsible for the inspection of schools, local education authorities and teacher training. From 2001-02, Ofsted's remit expanded to include early years inspection and regulation. Since April 2007, Ofsted has also had responsibility for the inspection and regulation of care for children and young people, and the inspection of education and training for learners of all ages. Over the same period, improvements to the way we deliver inspection and regulation have enabled Ofsted to make substantial savings. These changes have affected the costs of regulation and inspection and year on year comparison of these costs. Further explanatory notes accompany the table below.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Ofsted's expenditure on inspection of schools and inspection and regulation of nurseries and other pre-school provision 
			  £ million 
			  Year  Total cost of school inspection( 1)  Total cost of inspection and regulation of nurseries and other pre-school provision 
			 1997-98 n/a 0.0 
			 1998-99 n/a 0.0 
			 1999-2000 n/a 0.0 
			 2000-01 n/a 0.0 
			 2001-02 n/a 48.5 
			 2002-03 n/a 80.1 
			 2003-04 106.6 79.6 
			 2004-05(2) 101.0 92.9 
			 2005-06 106.1 88.4 
			 2006-07(3) 100.6 61.4 
			 2007-08(4) 77.7 63.1 
			 (1) The total cost of school inspection includes the costs of inspecting 'nursery schools', that is maintained schools for children of nursery age, inspected under the current school inspection framework (commonly known as section 5). Children of nursery age may also attend childcare provision, within the categories of 'childcare on domestic premises' and 'childcare on non-domestic premises', such as a private day nursery. The costs of inspecting and regulating these providers are included in the totals relating to nurseries and other pre-school provision. (2) In the financial year 2005-06, Ofsted used an improved method for calculating total costs of inspection and regulation. The 2004-05 figures above are the recalculated figures based on this new method. (3) Between the financial years 2004-05 and 2006-07 Ofsted established a new regional structure, rationalising the support for inspections within three regional offices. These changes led to substantial reduction in the cost of inspection and regulation activity. (4) Ofsted recently performed a more detailed, comprehensive and robust analysis of Ofsted's 2007-08 financial accounts to identify the cost of the inspection of schools, and the inspection and regulation of nurseries and pre-school provision. We have used information from this analysis to complete the table above. In the absence of such an analysis for previous years, it is not possible to make a consistent comparison between years.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average length of time was between the identification of a school for  (a) rebuilding and  (b) refurbishment and the completion of the project in the last five years in respect of (i) academies, (ii) primary schools, (iii) schools under the Building Schools for the Future programme and (iv) other secondary schools.

Jim Knight: Academies built through the Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF) will follow a timeline similar to the average for that programme. The time taken for academies built through the traditional procurement model varies depending on the nature of the project. We do not hold precise data centrally and it would exceed the cost threshold to compile.
	The average procurement time to completion for new or replacement schools in BSF has been 176 weeks. This includes the time in procuring authorities' private sector partners, Local Education Partnerships, each of which is responsible for rebuilding or refurbishing a package of several schools. Partnerships for Schools expect times to reduce, following changes in the procurement process.
	The BSF Procurement Review, the outcome of a major consultation exercise with stakeholders including local authorities, contractors, industry groups and the design community, promises savings of up to £250 million across the national programme.
	It will also make this part of the BSF process more timely, streamlined and efficient, reducing procurement times by up to two months.
	The Department does not hold information on procurement times for other secondary schools, nor for primary schools.

Schools: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools were given a rating of  (a) inadequate and  (b) satisfactory for behaviour in their last Ofsted inspection; and what the date of each such inspection was.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools were rated  (a) inadequate in their latest Ofsted inspection and either inadequate or satisfactory in the inspection before that and  (b) satisfactory in their latest inspection and either inadequate or satisfactory in the inspection before that.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils in each local authority area attended  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools which were in special measures in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HMCI Christine Gilbert will be replying and a copy of her letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools have been in special measures (a) twice,  (b) three times and  (c) more than three times in the last 12 years.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HMCI Christine Gilbert will be replying and a copy of her letter will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 22 May 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Tables A and B show which schools have been placed in special measures twice and three times. Between 1 September 1997 and 31 December 2008,1,940 maintained schools were placed in special measures once, and 67 schools were placed in special measures twice. One school, Malvern Hills Primary School, was placed in special measures three times. This school has now closed. No school has been placed in special measures more than three times.
	Of the 67 schools that required special measures a second time, five were found to require special measures at their re-inspection without ever being removed from this category. Technically, they remained in special measures. They are included at the foot of Table B. Data for the spring term 2009 have not yet been published and are not included in these figures.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Schools placed in special measures twice between 1 Sep 1997 and 31 December 2008 
			  URN  School  LA  Open/closed indicator 
			 130340 Monteagle Primary School Barking and Dagenham Open 
			 103309 Primrose Hill Community School Birmingham Open 
			 101526 Chalkhill Primary School Brent Open 
			 132008 Burwood School Bromley Open 
			 110492 Quarrendon School Buckinghamshire Open 
			 107532 Mount Pellon Junior and Infant School Calderdale Open 
			 110857 St. Andrew's CofE Community VA Junior School Cambridgeshire Closed 
			 109747 Oak Bank School Central Bedfordshire Open 
			 109139 Badocks Wood Primary School City of Bristol Open 
			 112390 The Morton School Cumbria Closed 
			 112558 Langley Mill Junior School Derbyshire Open 
			 112937 Deincourt Community School Derbyshire Open 
			 113373 Bridgerule Church of England Primary School Devon Open 
			 106781 North Doncaster Technology College Doncaster Open 
			 115604 Finlay Community School Gloucestershire Closed 
			 115817 Cam House School Gloucestershire Open 
			 100240 Sebright School Hackney Open 
			 116233 Park Primary School Hampshire Open 
			 115995 Shepherds Spring Junior School Hampshire Closed 
			 130325 Waite End Primary School Hampshire Open 
			 115838 The Bridge Education Centre Hampshire Open 
			 102449 Abbotsfield School Hillingdon Open 
			 102557 Syon Park School Hounslow Closed 
			 118259 Northcourt Primary School Kent Closed 
			 118724 St. Barnabas CofE VA Primary School Kent Open 
			 118925 Montgomery School Kent Closed 
			 107759 Fartown High School Kirklees Open 
			 119998 Queensmead Junior School Leicester City Closed 
			 120087 Beaumont Lodge Primary School Leicester City Open 
			 120687 Hartsholme Primary School Lincolnshire Open 
			 104595 Childwall Valley Primary School Liverpool Closed 
			 109425 Orchard Centre Luton Open 
			 105548 Saviour CofE Primary School Manchester Open 
			 102669 St. Teresa's Catholic Primary School Merton Open 
			 110532 The Radcliffe School Milton Keynes Open 
			 108520 Gosforth Junior High School Newcastle Upon Tyne Open 
			 120906 Fairstead Community Primary School Norfolk Open 
			 121211 Costessey High School Norfolk Open 
			 117953 Strand Junior School North East Lincolnshire Closed 
			 122154 The Orchard School Northamptonshire Closed 
			 121928 Sunnyside Primary School Northamptonshire Open 
			 122325 West Sleekburn Middle School Northumberland Open 
			 122438 St. Ann's Well Junior School Nottingham City Closed 
			 123083 Thameside Primary School Oxfordshire Open 
			 109777 Battle Primary School Reading Open 
			 105011 New Park High School Salford Open 
			 103914 Burnt Tree Primary School Sandwell Open 
			 110077 Langleywood School Slough Closed 
			 100797 John Donne Primary School Southwark Open 
			 100806 Peckham Rye Primary School Southwark Closed 
			 124854 Kirkley Middle School Suffolk Open 
			 124976 St. Francis, Westborough Community Primary Surrey Closed 
			 114900 Chadwell St. Mary Primary School Thurrock Open 
			 100887 Alice Model Nursery School Tower Hamlets Open 
			 104165 Beechdale Primary School Walsall Closed 
			 103040 Church Mead Junior School Waltham Forest Closed 
			 130873 Acorns Primary School Warwickshire Open 
			 126489 Ludgershall Castle Primary School Wiltshire Open 
			 116751 Worcester, Dines Green Primary School Worcestershire Open 
			 116771 Worcester, Elbury Mount Primary School Worcestershire Closed 
			 131491 Redgrave School Worcestershire Closed 
			 107364 Rhodesway School Bradford Open 
			 107228 Usher Street Bradford Closed 
			 108473 Montagu Community Full Service School Newcastle Upon Tyne Closed 
			 133267 Sherwood Hall School and Sixth Form College Nottinghamshire Closed 
			 125272 Thomas Knyvett College Surrey Open 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Schools placed in special measures three times between 1 September 1997 and 31 December 2008 
			  URN  School  LA  Open/closed indicator 
			 116710 Malvern Hills Primary School Worcestershire Closed

Social Services: Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance is issued by his Department to local authority children's services in relation to the provision of accommodation and support services for young persons leaving care who are placed outside the borough with care responsibility.

Beverley Hughes: The framework for planning looked after children in and leaving care is established in very detailed regulations and guidance setting out the requirements established by the Children Act 1989 and the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. This framework is intended to ensure that there is proper and thorough planning on behalf of each child wherever they are placed. Every child and young person must have a "care plan". This becomes their pathway plan from age 16 when local authorities must begin to prepare them for the time when they will no longer be looked after. Where young people have been placed outside of their local area, the pathway planning process must identify whether they will continue to remain in the area where they are placed into adulthood or whether they will return to the area of their responsible authority.
	Government have published the National Protocol on Inter-Authority Arrangements for Care Leavers as a model to assist in managing joint working arrangements between local authorities where a care leaver who is the responsibility of one authority is a resident in another authority.
	This protocol can be accessed on the 'Children Leaving Care' page of the Every Child Matters website.
	The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 received Royal Assent in the last session of Parliament. Section 8 of this Act sets out the factors that local authorities must consider when they make a placement for children in their care. This clarifies that as far as reasonably practicable authorities must attempt to secure placements that are within their area and close to children's homes. The priority given to these factors will depend on a detailed assessment of the circumstances in each individual case.
	Later this year we will be consulting on planned revision of the Children Act statutory guidance which will include revision of leaving care guidance. This revision provides us with the opportunity to provide more information about how we expect local authorities to plan for looked after children and care leavers who have been placed away from their responsible authority.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1317W, on special educational need, what the name and local authority area of each of the 10 schools is.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Non-maintained special schools: Schools with more than 100 pupils( 1) —as at January 2008—England 
			  URN  Local authority  School name 
			 105137 Wirral West Kirby Residential School 
			 113044 Derby Royal School for The Deaf (Derby) 
			 116636 Hampshire Treloar School 
			 133653 East Sussex St. Mary's Wrestwood Children's Trust 
			 114677 Brighton and Hove St. John's School (Brighton) 
			 113652 Devon West of England School 
			 119030 Kent Royal School for Deaf Children and Westgate College for Deaf People 
			 108657 North Tyneside Percy Hedley School 
			 125453 Surrey National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy, St. Piers School 
			 110180 West Berkshire Mary Hare Grammar School 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs: GCSE

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families at how many mainstream schools attended by pupils with statements of special educational need no such pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE in each year from 1997 to 2007.

Jim Knight: The available information can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of mainstream schools attended by pupils with statements of special educational needs where no such pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE 
			   Number 
			 2008 26 
			 2007 38 
			 2006 57 
			 2005 67 
			 2004 100 
			  Notes: 1. Figures prior to 2004 have not been provided as these are not available on a comparable basis. 2. These figures are for pupils in maintained mainstream schools that have more than 10 pupils with statements of special educational needs. 3. Figures for 2008 include two closed schools that are published in the Achievement and Attainment Tables.  Source: National Pupil Database

Sure Start Programme: First Aid

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to ensure that all Sure Start children's centres offer first aid training to new parents.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities, working with NHS and Job Centre Plus partners, are responsible for planning and delivering services in Sure Start children's centres. Parenting and family support services, including support for new parents, are tailored to respond to needs in the local area. Our Sure Start children's centres practice guidance makes clear that children's centres should be offering a range of interventions to all parents to help reduce the risk of accidents. Examples include: advising parents on the stages of infant development and the implications for accident and injury prevention; and offering education awareness campaigns on accident and injury avoidance.

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers have entered teacher training under the Transition to Teaching programme since its inception; how much his Department has spent on the programme to date; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Transition to Teaching is currently supporting 225 participants with more people joining the programme every week. These people are being supported to explore the possibility of training as teachers, have applied for places, gained places or begun training. It is supported by 282 companies and that number is expected to rise. Since the programme was launched in July 2008 the Training and Development Agency for Schools using grant in aid from the Department has spent £1,228,812 on it. This includes initial set-up and launch costs and costs incurred supporting participants.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Employment Level

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many people were unemployed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 2007;
	(2)  how many people were in employment in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 2007;
	(3)  what the average unemployment rate of the working age population in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK was in each year since 2007;
	(4)  how many  (a) males,  (b) females and  (c) single parents were (i) in employment and (ii) unemployed in (A) Jarrow constituency, (B) South Tyneside, (C) the North East and (D) the UK in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people were unemployed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2007; how many people were in employment in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2007; what the average unemployment rate of the working age population in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK has been in each year since 2007; and how many (a) males, (b) females and (c) single parents were in (i) in employment and (ii) unemployed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK has been in each year since 1997. (277459,277460,277461 & 277462).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS). Estimates of total unemployment for unitary and local authorities are produced from a statistical model, following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1 shows the number of people aged 16+, resident in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK, who were unemployed in each year since 2007. The estimates for UK and the North East have been compiled from the APS to be consistent with those for Jarrow constituency, and will therefore differ from the unemployment figures published in the Labour Market First Release. Estimates for South Tyneside are compiled from model based estimates.
	Table 2 shows the number of people aged 16+, resident in the requested geographies who were employed in each year since 2007. The estimates for UK and the North East have been compiled from the APS to be consistent with those for Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside and will therefore differ from the unemployment figures published in the Labour Market First Release.
	Table 3 shows the average unemployment rate, for persons of working age (males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59), resident in the requested geographies, who were unemployed in each year since 2007. Unemployment rates published by ONS have been compiled from the APS and are based on the percentage of the economically active population. Estimates for South Tyneside are compiled from Model based estimates.
	Table 4 shows the number of lone parents below state pension age with dependent children in employment and unemployed in the requested geographies for the calendar years 2004 to 2007. Estimates are derived from the APS household datasets and are only available for January to December for the years 2004 to 2007. Estimates for 2008 will be available from summer 2009.
	Table 5 shows the number of people aged 16+, males and females resident in the requested geographies who were employed in each year since 2007. The estimates for UK and the North East have also been compiled from the APS to be consistent with those for Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside and will therefore differ from the unemployment figures published in the Labour Market First Release National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment and unemployment are available from the NOMIS website at: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Number of persons unemployed( 1)  resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK in each year since 2007 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending:  Jarrow  South Tyneside( 2)  North East  UK 
			 September 2007 3 6 80 1,603 
			 September 2008(3) ****— ***6 *86 *1,643 
			 — = Data is unreliable for practical purposes. (1) Levels of unemployment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2) Model Based Estimates. (3) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV<5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey and Model Based Estimates 
		
	
	
		
			  Tabl e 2:  Number of persons employed( 1)  resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK in each year since 2007 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending:  Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  UK 
			 September 2007 37 64 1,162 29,042 
			 September 2008(2) **36 *66 *1,161 *29,350 
			 (1) Levels of employment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Statistical Robustness * Estimates are considered precise. ** Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** Estimates are considered acceptable. **** Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes.  Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Average unemployment rates( 1)  for people of working age resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK in each year since 2007 
			  Percentage 
			  12 months ending:  Jarrow  South Tyneside( 2)  North East  UK 
			 September 2007 6.5 8.2 6.5 5.4 
			 September 2008 6.3 7.7 7.0 5.5 
			 (1) Number of unemployed people of working age as a percentage of the economically active population. Working age is defined as being: males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59. (2) Model based estimates.  Source: Annual Population Survey and Model Based Estimates 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 :  Number of lone parents( 1)  with dependent children( 2)  in employment and unemployed in selected areas of UK, 2004 to 2007; January to December of each year 
			  Thousand 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  UK 
			  In employment 
			 2004 — 3 47 976 
			 2005 — 3 52 1,016 
			 2006 — 2 49 1,025 
			 2007(3) ****— ***3 **45 *1,031 
			  
			  Unemployed 
			 2004 — — 6 98 
			 2005 — — 4 93 
			 2006 — — 6 115 
			 2007(3) ****— ****— ***6 *111 
			 — = Data is unreliable for practical purposes. (1) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (2) Dependent children are children aged under 16 and those 16 to 18 who are never-married and in full-time education. (3) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV<5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Note: Zeros represent less than 500.  Source: Annual Population Survey Household data sets 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Number of persons employed( 1)  by gender resident in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK in each year since 1997 
			  Thousand 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  UK 
			  12 months ending:  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 February 1997 17 14 28 27 491 458 11,454 10,768 
			 February 1998 14 15 25 27 491 456 11,780 10,939 
			 February 1999 16 16 27 26 488 452 12,005 11,145 
			 February 2000 17 17 25 26 476 460 12,203 11,318 
			 February 2001 22 16 33 27 575 500 14,841 12,493 
			 February 2002 20 18 33 31 569 506 14,984 12,643 
			 February 2003 18 18 31 31 574 508 15,059 12,738 
			 February 2004 19 17 32 29 579 512 15,209 12,847 
			 March 2005 18 17 32 30 597 528 15,384 13,013 
			 March 2006 19 18 34 30 602 535 15,427 13,178 
			 March 2007 19 16 33 29 614 540 15,621 13,291 
			 September 2007 20 17 34 30 618 545 15,691 13,351 
			 March 2008 20 17 35 32 619 545 15,816 13,428 
			 September 2008(2) ***18 ***18 ***34 ***32 *617 *544 *15,848 *13,502 
			 (1) Levels of employment are provided for persons aged 16 and over. The figures presented are weighted to population estimates published in 2007. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality as follows.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV<5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey